Videos show black man Patrick Lyoya shot in the head by Grand Rapids police officer

The black man was identified as Patrick Lyoya and was 26 years old. He died in front of a house in Grand Rapids, and it is believed that the police officer (who was white) repeatedly asked Lyoya to leave his taser. He also demanded the black man drop the taser.

Eric Winstrom, the new chief of police in the city, released critical footage of the incident citing transparency. He stated that it was tragic for him and a moment of progressive sadness.

Winstrom became the chief of the Grand Rapids in March and was a high-ranking police commander in Chicago previously.


The video showed Lyoya running away from the officer who had stopped him because he was driving a car with a license plate that did not belong to the vehicle. Lyoya's passenger kept watching as Lyoya and the police officer struggled.

Winstrom stated that the taser struggle lasted 90 seconds, and the officer was kneeling on Lyoya's back to subdue him and was on top of him. He stated that it was two times that the taser was deployed but couldn't make contact even once.

Subsequently, Lyoya was killed by being shot in his head. Winstrom stated that this was the only information he had as of now.

The police in the state is still investigating the incident, and the toxicology tests are yet to finish. The autopsy has been completed by the Chief Medical Examiner of Kent County, Dr. Stephen Cohle.

The video showed that Lyoya got out of the car, and the officer asked him to go back in, but Lyoya declined. Lyoya belonged to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The officer asked Lyoya whether he spoke English and asked for his driving license.

The chase on foot started soon after that. Winstrom did not name the officer, and the officer is still on paid leave during the investigation.