Patrick Lyoya’s arrest was filmed by four different cameras. On April 4, in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, a police officer stopped a vehicle for a traffic stop.
The driver fled on foot, but the policeman was able to quickly throw him to the ground. The arrested man gets back on his feet and tries to snatch the stun gun from the policeman. The fight between the two men continues on the ground when a shot is fired. The fugitive is killed with a bullet to the head. Patrick Lyoya, 26, came to the United States with his family as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is the father of two children.
“I view this as a tragedy. The loss of life, regardless of the circumstances, is sad and I know it will impact our city,” Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said during a news conference yesterday Wednesday and while the videos were being viewed were revealed.
As soon as the images were unveiled, a hundred protesters gathered in Grand Rapids to demand that the circumstances of this tragedy be clarified.
State Governor Gretchen Whitmer called for calm while the police investigation delivers its findings.
WARNINGthese images can offend the sensibilities of the youngest as well as uninformed people