Attorneys for family of Black man shot dead by police to release autopsy findings
2022.04.19 16:21
FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators protest the killing of Patrick Lyoya, an unarmed Black man who was shot and killed by a Grand Rapids Police officer during a traffic stop on April 4, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S., April 16, 2022. REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado
(Reuters) – Attorneys for the family of a Black man shot dead by a Grand Rapids, Michigan police officer during a traffic stop earlier this month are expected on Tuesday to release the findings of an independent autopsy.
Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Ven Johnson have scheduled a 10:30 a.m. EST news conference in Detroit to discuss the results of an autopsy performed on Patrick Lyoya, 26, who was shot and killed on April 4.
Forensic pathologist Werner Spitz conducted the independent autopsy, Crump said in a statement.
The death of Lyoya, a Congolese refugee, has outraged members of his family and touched off protests in Grand Rapids by activists who say it represents the latest example of police violence against young Black men.
Lyoya’s family is demanding that authorities dismiss the officer who shot him from the force and file criminal charges against him.
Last week, police released videos of the incident taken from the dashboard of the officer’s squad car, from his body-worn camera and from a neighbor’s surveillance camera.
They show Lyoya stepping out of the car on a rainy street, seemingly confused and asking “what did I do?” as the policeman repeatedly asks for a driver’s license and orders him to get back inside the vehicle.
Lyoya appears to be complying, but then closes the driver-side door and attempts to walk away, resisting the officers attempts to handcuff him.
Following a short foot chase, the two men grapple on the lawn, at one point fighting over the officer’s stun gun, before Lyoya is shot.
The incident began after the officer stopped Lyoya over suspicions involving his license plate.
Grand Rapids police officials have placed the officer, who has not been named publicly, on administrative leave, and have asked the Michigan State Police to investigate the shooting.
