Family of the shot African-American sued Michigan police
2022.12.07 13:41
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Family of the shot African-American sued Michigan police
Budrigannews.com – A civil lawsuit has been filed by the family of an African refugee who was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, against the city and the former police officer who is accused of killing him.
According to online records, the suit was filed on behalf of the family of Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was filed in the U.S. District Court in Western Michigan on Wednesday.
In April, former officer Christopher Schurr, 31, shot Lyoya in the back of the head, killing her. The altercation was caught on cell phone video and later made public. Schurr pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder charge in June.
According to a news release, attorneys Ben Crump and Ven Johnson represent the Lyoya family and claim that “overwhelming evidence” demonstrates that “racial profiling and excessive force took place during the traffic stop, physical altercation, and eventual killing of Lyoya.” It did not specify the amount of damages sought by the family.
At a news conference later on Wednesday, the attorneys will discuss the lawsuit against Schurr and Grand Rapids, a city in western Michigan with fewer than 200,000 people.
The shooting has been condemned by activists as yet another instance of unjustified police use of deadly force against young Black men.
An independent autopsy by a forensic pathologist who examined Lyoya came to the conclusion that the officer fired once while holding his gun to the back of his head.
The autopsy supported the belief that Lyoya was the victim of “an execution,” according to Crump, who is well-known for representing the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, and others in high-profile cases involving Black people whose deaths have sparked outrage regarding race relations in the United States.
Lyoya appears confused as she steps out of the car on a rainy street in April-released videos of the incident. She asks, “What did I do?” as the officer repeatedly orders him to exit the vehicle and asks for a driver’s license.
Despite the officer’s attempts to handcuff Lyoya, he closed the driver’s side door and tried to walk away, appearing to be complying.
The two men got into a fight on a lawn after a brief foot chase, at one point appearing to fight over the officer’s stun gun. The two had tumbled to the ground when the official drew his gun and discharged a single fired toward the rear of his head, video film shows.
Following the officer’s stop of Lyoya due to suspicions regarding his license plate, the attempted arrest took place.
