Newly released video footage shows a police officer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, fatally shooting a man, sparking protests and even calls for violence.
Following a traffic stop on April 4, Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old black man, ran from his vehicle, resulting in a struggle in which the officer shot him in the head while on top of him, WEYI-TV reported.
The shooting happened roughly three minutes after the officer pulled Lyoya over for a license plate violation.
On Wednesday, the Grand Rapids Police Department released cellphone and surveillance video footage of the incident as well as the officer’s body and dashcam video.
“This [is] a difficult day. My heart goes out to the family of Patrick Lyoya,” Grand Rapids Police Chief Erik Winstrom said during the news conference.
The Michigan State Police are now investigating the shooting. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.
Winstrom said the officer is on paid administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.
In the footage of the struggle and shooting, there is indication that Lyoya took the officer’s Taser. The officer is heard saying, “Let go of the Taser” and “Drop the Taser,” according to CNN.
Winstrom told reporters that the Taser was deployed twice during the confrontation, but the prongs didn’t hit Lyoya.
Since the release of the footage, protesters have taken to the streets in Grand Rapids.
HAPPENING NOW: Hundreds gather outside the Grand Rapids Police Department to protest the shooting of 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya. Police released videos of the deadly police shooting earlier today. @wwmtnews pic.twitter.com/tU0Drx3NJo
— Trisha McCauley (@TrishaWWMT) April 13, 2022
One antifa group called for extreme responses to the shooting.
“Rest in power Patrick Lyoya. Abolish the pigs, burn that s*** down,” DC Antifascist Action tweeted.
Andy Ngo, an independent journalist and editor at the Post Millennial, tweeted that Lyoya “has a long criminal history that includes a conviction for assaulting a pregnant woman in Kentwood, MI.”
#PatrickLyoya, the black man shot dead by a @GrandRapidsPD officer after violently resisting arrest & trying to take his taser, has a long criminal history that includes a conviction for assaulting a pregnant woman in Kentwood, MI. #Antifa & the far-left are calling for revenge. pic.twitter.com/oCDkYCH6z9
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) April 14, 2022
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who has been retained by the Lyoya family, said the officer should be fired and charged.
“It should be noted that Patrick never used violence against this officer, even though the officer used violence against him in several instances for what was a misdemeanor traffic stop,” Crump said.
Under Michigan law, police officers are allowed to use deadly force in order to prevent death or bodily harm, according to WEYI. Winstrom said a Taser is considered an “intermediate weapon with potential to cause death or bodily harm,” the outlet reported.
