His name was Patrick Lyoya. He was 26 years old, he had arrived as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo with his family and was the father of two children. On Wednesday evening, around 100 protesters gathered in Grand Rapids, Michigan after videos were released (Warning, the pictures are shocking) showing a white policeman shooting Patrick in the head after a struggle for control of the officer’s Taser. Governor Gretchen Whitmer called for calm while the police investigation delivers its verdict.
One of the four videos of the tragedy that occurred on April 4, shows the policeman lying on the back of Patrick Lyoya, 26, before he shot him, in all likelihood, in the head. An altercation between Patrick Lyoya and the policeman had broken out after a traffic stop, and shortly before the shooting, the two men appeared to be struggling on the ground to take control of the policeman’s electric gun. His name has not been revealed.
Internal investigation
According to images from the local ABC channel, about 100 people gathered in downtown Grand Rapids, a Michigan city of some 200,000 people. Protesters carried “Black Lives Matter” signs and chanted “no justice, no peace”.
“I consider this a tragedy,” Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said of the April 4 event at a press conference Wednesday where the videos were released. “The loss of a life, regardless of the circumstances, is sad, and I know it will impact our city,” he added. The Grand Rapids police officer has been placed on paid leave pending the results of the Michigan State Police investigation, Eric Winstrom said.