Patrick Lyoya, 26, was killed by a Grand Rapids police officer last week during a traffic stop. Activists said the shooting was an escalation resulting from years of demands for policing change being ignored.
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The Fatal Stop
On Wednesday, police in Grand Rapids, Mich., released videos that depicted a white officer fatally shooting Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Black man, after a struggle that ensued during a traffic stop last week. The officer, not named at this point in time, was lying on the back of Lyoya before he appeared to shoot him in the head. Seconds before the shooting, Lyoya and the officer wrestled on the ground, seeming to be fighting for control of the officer’s Taser.
“When I saw the video, it was painful to watch,” Mark Washington, the Grand Rapids city manager, said. “And I immediately asked, ‘What caused this to happen, and what more could have been done to prevent this from occurring?’”
Before the release of the footage, the case revealed a tension that had been brewing in Grand Rapids, a city of about 200,000 people. 18 percent of residents are Black. activists who aired their frustration and grief on Tuesday night amidst a City Commission meeting and spoke for hours about what has been described as years of inaction on policing issues by Grand Rapids leaders. They then protested through the evening on Wednesday after the videos were released.
The investigation into the officer’s actions is ongoing, said officials on Wednesday. There have been no decisions for charges just yet. Chief Eric Winstrom of the Grand Rapids police said he was not aware of any weapons other than the officer’s gun and Taser being found at the scene. Police body camera video showed the officer telling Lyoya that he was being pulled over because his license plates did not match his car.
In Grand Rapids, officials said the police officer who fired the fatal shot had joined the department in 2015. Lyoya had immigrated to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2014 and had lived in Grand Rapids for about five years, according to the office of Ben Crump, serving as a lawyer for the family.
“The video clearly shows that this was an unnecessary, excessive and fatal use of force against an unarmed Black man who was confused by the encounter and terrified for his life,” Mr. Crump said, calling for the officer to be fired and prosecuted.
The videos released had showed Lyoya as he was driving through a residential area on the cold, rainy morning of April 4 when an officer pulled him over. Lyoya stepped out of his car, the videos show, and appeared confused as the officer instructed him to get back in the car. Lyoya was asked if he spoke English and when he confirmed that he did speak English, Lyoya asked, “What did I do wrong?” After an exchange about whether Lyoya has a driver’s license, the officer grabbed Lyoya, who then pulled away and started to run as the video footage showed. The officer then tackled Lyoya in a nearby lawn, yelling “Stop!” as Lyoya was apparently trying to regain his footing.
At one point, body camera footage showed Lyoya grasping for the Taser that is in the officer’s hand. Chief Winstrom said he believed that the Taser was fired twice during the encounter. Although it had been fired twice, it did not hit anyone. Halfway through the struggle, the officer’s body camera stopped filming. Chief Winstrom explained the action as pressure was applied to the camera to turn it off during the struggle. However, it was not clear who applied that pressure or whether it was intentionally done. There were other cameras from different vantage points: the officer’s vehicle, a nearby doorbell security system and a bystander’s cellphone, captured different portions of the encounter.
Shortly before the fatal shot was fired, the officer yellsed “Let go of the Taser.” Lyoya was facing the ground and pushing up, with the officer on top of him, moments just before the shooting.
The Response
On Wednesday, police in Grand Rapids, Mich., released videos that depicted a white officer fatally shooting Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Black man, after a struggle during a traffic stop last week.
The officer, who has not been named at this point in time, was lying on the back of Lyoya before he appeared to shoot him in the head. Seconds before the shooting, Lyoya and the officer wrestled on the ground, seeming to be fighting for control of the officer’s Taser.
“When I saw the video, it was painful to watch,” Mark Washington, the Grand Rapids city manager, said. “And I immediately asked, ‘What caused this to happen, and what more could have been done to prevent this from occurring?’”
Before the release of the footage, the case revealed a tension that had been brewing in Grand Rapids, a city of about 200,000 people. 18 percent of residents are Black. Activists aired their frustration and grief on Tuesday night amidst a City Commission meeting and spoke for hours about what has been described as years of inaction on policing issues by Grand Rapids leaders. They then protested through the evening on Wednesday after the videos were released.
The investigation into the officer’s actions is ongoing, said officials on Wednesday. There have been no decisions for charges just yet. Chief Eric Winstrom of the Grand Rapids police said he was not aware of any weapons other than the officer’s gun and Taser being found at the scene. Police body camera video showed the officer telling Lyoya that he was being pulled over because his license plates did not match his car.
Lyoya had immigrated to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2014 and had lived in Grand Rapids for about five years, according to the office of Ben Crump, serving as a lawyer for the family.
“The video clearly shows that this was an unnecessary, excessive and fatal use of force against an unarmed Black man who was confused by the encounter and terrified for his life,” Mr. Crump said, calling for the officer to be fired and prosecuted.
Chief Winstrom had called the shooting a tragedy but did not say if he thought the officer followed department policy or state law, citing the investigations into the case. The officer is on paid leave and his police powers have been suspended, officials said.
In a statement, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer expressed sympathy to the Lyoya family. The governor then called for any protests that occurred to be peaceful. “The Michigan State Police will conduct a transparent, independent investigation of the shooting. Then, prosecutors must consider all the evidence, follow the law and take appropriate action on charges. Justice is foundational to safety, and without justice, we are all less safe.”
Lyoya’s death had been a part of a series of incidents that strained relations between residents and the Grand Rapids police. So much so that city data from 2020 showed that Black residents who responded to a survey said they had less trust in the Grand Rapids police compared to white and Hispanic neighbors.
“We’ve constantly, constantly been talking about the harassment and the brutality that’s done right here,” Cle Jackson, the president of the Greater Grand Rapids N.A.A.C.P., said in a news conference.
A spokeswoman for the Michigan State Police, the agency handling the case, did not say when the investigation might be finished and handed over to prosecutors for a charging decision. Christopher Becker, who served as the prosecuting attorney in Kent County, including Grand Rapids, last week had urged the police to hold off on releasing the video until the State Police investigation was completed. Chief Winstrom took over as police chief last month, responding by saying he would release the video by the end of this week.
