Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom cited a need for transparency when releasing video collected from a passenger in the car Lyoya was driving, the officer’s body camera, the officer’s patrol car and a doorbell camera.
Winstrom did not identify the officer, a seven-year veteran who is on paid leave while Michigan State Police investigate the shooting.
Kent County’s chief medical examiner, Dr Stephen Cohle, said he completed the autopsy but toxicology tests have not been finished.
Lyoya’s mother, Dorcas, told reporters that she thought the family was in a safe place after leaving Congo and was ‘astonished to see that my son has been killed with [a] bullet.’
‘That was my beloved son. You know how you love your firstborn son,’ she said through an interpreter.
Citing a need for transparency, the city’s new police chief, Eric Winstrom, released four videos on Wednesday, including critical footage of the shooting recorded by a passenger in Lyoya’s car on that rainy morning.
‘I view it as a tragedy. … It was a progression of sadness for me,’ said Winstrom, a former high-ranking Chicago police commander who became Grand Rapids chief in March. The city of about 200,000 is about 150 miles northwest of Detroit.
The videos released on Wednesday by police were taken from the dashboard of the officer’s squad car, from his body-worn camera and from a neighbor’s surveillance camera.
The traffic stop was tense from the start.
Lyoya, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is seen stepping out of the car on a rainy street of Griggs and Nelson SE, seemingly confused and asking ‘What did I do?’ as the officer repeatedly asks for a driver’s license and orders him to get back inside the vehicle.
‘I’m stopping ya, do you have a license? Do you have a driver’s license, do you speak English?’ he asks.
Lyoya confirms he speaks English and opens the driver’s side door and speaks to his passenger.
He then shuts his door, turns his back to the officer and appears to walk away.
‘No, no, no, stop, stop,’ the officer is heard saying, and puts his hands on Lyoya’s shoulder.
Lyoya is seen resisting the officer and then starts running until the officer tackles him to the ground.
Lyoya and the cop grapple in front of several homes while Lyoya’s passenger got out and watched.
The officer repeatedly orders Lyoya to ‘let go’ of his Taser, at one point demanding: ‘Drop the Taser!’
Crump said the officer could have waited for backup once Lyoya ran but instead got ‘violent.’
He accused him of not following proper training by using the Taser while close to Lyoya, saying it was Lyoya’s ‘natural instinct’ to try to stop from being stunned.
Lyoya appears to be complying, but then closes the driver-side door and attempts to walk away, resisting the officers attempts to handcuff him
Video shows Lyoya, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the officer struggle over the cop’s Taser shortly before Lyoya was shot dead
The white officer repeatedly orders Lyoya to ‘let go’ of his Taser, at one point demanding: ‘Drop the Taser!’
Video was collected from Lyoya’s passenger, the officer’s body-worn camera, the officer’s patrol car and a doorbell camera
Lyoya is seen on video on the ground during the scuffle with the Michigan cop just before he’s shotLyoya is seen on video on the ground during a scuffle with a Michigan cop just before he’s shot
Patrick’s brothers and sisters want to know who killed him and would like to see his picture so they can know ‘this is the person that took our beloved one,’ father Peter said, adding that ‘Patrick never had a problem with anybody’ 
From left, Dorothy Sewe consoles Patrick Lyoya’s mother, Dorcas Lyoya, near Lyoya’s father, Peter Lyoya, during a news conference at the Renaissance Church of God in Christ Family Life Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Thursday
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump raises his fist while speaking during a press conference at the Renaissance Church of God in Christ Family Life Center in Grand Rapids on Thursday
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, right, and interpreter Israel Siku point to video evidence during in a press conference at the Renaissance Church of God in Christ Family Life Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Thursday
Minute-by-minute recap of fatal confrontation
12.10pm: A Grand Rapids Police officer initiated a traffic stop on a car near the intersection of Griggs and Nelson SE.
He tells Patrick Lyoya, who gets out of the car, to stay inside.
He approaches Lyoya.
12.11pm: The officer repeatedly asks a seemingly confused Patrick Lyoya for his driver’s license and orders him to get back inside the vehicle.
Lyoya does not comply. He seems confused but confirms he speaks English.
The officer asks him for his driving license.
Lyoya asks what he did wrong and the officer tells him the license plate does not belong to the car.
Lyoya says his license is in his car and opens the driver’s side door to speaks to his passenger.
He then shuts his door, turns his back to the officer and appears to walk away.
12.12pm: The officer is heard saying, ‘No, no, nope, stop, stop,’ and puts his hands on Lyoya’s shoulder, who then resists.
They grapple in the streets and Lyoya gets free and runs off. The officer chases him.
‘Stop! Stop!’ the cop yells.
They run around the car and the officer tackles Lyoya to the ground on a grass verge.
12.13pm: Lyoya and the cop grapple in front of several homes while Lyoya’s passenger got out and watched, and asked if he was good.
‘Stop resisting,’ the officer yells at Lyoya.
The cop has Lyoya on the ground, and he could be yelling, ‘I’m a black man.’
At this point, the officer’s body camera suddenly turns off.
But additional video footage — from the neighbor’s doorbell security system, the dash cam in the officer’s vehicle, and a bystander’s cellphone — capture different angles of the incident.
The officer repeatedly orders Lyoya to ‘let go’ of his Taser, at one point demanding: ‘Drop the Taser!’
‘Let go of the Taser,’ he repeats until shots ring out.
In the final moments, the officer was on top of Lyoya, kneeling on his back at times to subdue him.
Audio from the neighbor’s doorbell camera captured the sound of the officer shooting Lyoya in the back of the head.
Backup officers arrived three minutes later
It is not clear from any of the videos if or when Lyoya tried to grab the cop’s Taser, but the cop is heard yelling at him to let go of the device, which was deployed twice, but didn’t strike anyone, officials said.
At this point, the officer’s body camera suddenly turns off.
Chief Winstrom explained that it takes pushing a button for three seconds to turn off the body camera and he thought the pressure from Lyoya’s body caused the deactivation.
But additional video footage — from the neighbor’s doorbell security system, the dashcam in the officer’s vehicle, and a bystander’s cellphone — capture different angles of the incident.
Winstrom said the fight over the Taser lasted about 90 seconds. In the final moments, the officer was on top of Lyoya, kneeling on his back at times to subdue him.
‘From my view of the video, Taser was deployed twice. Taser did not make contact,’ Winstrom told reporters. ‘And Mr. Lyoya was shot in the head. However, that’s the only information that I have.’
Because the Taser was fired twice, it was ineffective without being reloaded, Crump said. ‘It should be noted that Patrick never used violence against this officer even though the officer used violence against him in several instances for what was a misdemeanor traffic stop,’
‘There was no reason for him to have any intimate fear of the Taser being used against him,’ he said of the officer.
However, a Taser can still deliver a shock after the two cartridges are spent if a person holds it against someone and fires.
What is known as a ‘drive stun’ does not incapacitate the person but does hurt, according to Andrew J. Scott III, an expert in police practices and procedures and a former police chief in Boca Raton, Florida.
A Taser can also be used that when the cartridges are still in the weapon. Officers sometimes do that in the hope that they will not have to deploy the Taser’s probes.
Lyoya and the cop grapple in front of several homes while Lyoya’s passenger got out and watched.
The officer repeatedly orders Lyoya to ‘let go’ of his Taser, at one point demanding: ‘Drop the Taser!’
It is not clear from any of the videos if or when Lyoya tried to grab the cop’s Taser, but the cop is heard yelling at him to let go of the device, which was deployed twice, but didn’t strike anyone, officials said.
At this point, the officer’s body camera suddenly turns off.
Chief Winstrom explained that it takes pushing a button for three seconds to turn off the body camera and he thought the pressure from Lyoya’s body caused the deactivation.
But additional video footage — from the neighbor’s doorbell security system, the dashcam in the officer’s vehicle, and a bystander’s cellphone — capture different angles of the incident.
Winstrom said the fight over the Taser lasted about 90 seconds. In the final moments, the officer was on top of Lyoya, kneeling on his back at times to subdue him.
‘From my view of the video, Taser was deployed twice. Taser did not make contact,’ Winstrom told reporters. ‘And Mr. Lyoya was shot in the head. However, that’s the only information that I have.’ 
Patrick Lyoya, who arrived in the United States in 2014 as a refugee with his family fleeing violence, had two young daughters and five siblings. ‘He had his whole life ahead of him,’ Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said
Protesters march along Monroe Center NW after Grand Rapids police released video of the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Wednesday
The group demanded that officials make public the name of the officer in the shooting
Audio from the neighborhood home surveillance camera captured the sound of the officer shooting Lyoya in the back of the head.
Chief Winstrom has not yet identified the officer, but confirmed he is on paid leave during the investigation.
‘Me being from Chicago for the last 20 years, I’ve handled many police shootings myself, so I do have a lot of experience in this,’ the chief said. ‘I was hoping to never have to utilize that experience here.’
Prosecutor Chris Becker, who will decide whether any charges are warranted, objected to the release but said Winstrom could act on his own.
But Becker said the public shouldn’t expect a quick decision.
Michigan State Police launch probe of fatal shooting by cop
‘The Michigan State Police independent investigation into the incident is not complete.
‘This is an extremely critical incident, and one that everyone involved in the investigation is taking very seriously’
‘…while the videos released today are an important piece of evidence, they are not all of the evidence…
‘By law, we are required to review all available evidence before we consider whether charges should be filed, and if so, what appropriate charges should be’
The full autopsy report will not be publicly available until state police conclude their investigation.
The medical examiner said the family has also been offered the opportunity to seek an independent autopsy.
‘While the videos released today are an important piece of evidence, they are not all of the evidence,’ he said.
City Manager Mark Washington warned that the videos would lead to ‘expressions of shock, of anger and of pain.’
Some downtown businesses boarded up storefronts, and concrete barricades surrounded police headquarters.
Lyoya had two young daughters and five siblings, said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who spoke to his family.
‘He arrived in the United States as a refugee with his family fleeing violence. He had his whole life ahead of him,’ Whitmer, a Democrat, said.
The April 4 death of Lyoya 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.
‘Another Black man has died at the hands of police, and the officer in this video has got to be held accountable,’ the NAACP said in a written statement responding to the video.
‘President Biden, sign the police reform executive order now. While we fully understand an executive order is not a substitute for meaningful legislation, we must do everything in our power to protect our community,’ the NAACP said.
More than 100 people marched to Grand Rapids City Hall before a City Commission meeting Tuesday night, chanting ‘Black lives matter’ and ‘No justice, no peace.’
On Wednesday, several hundred protesters gathered outside the Grand Rapids Police Department following the release of the videos with some cursing and shouting from behind barricades.
The group demanded that officials make public the name of the officer in the shooting.
Some businesses cut their hours short Wednesday, closing early. Some boarded up windows. But the demonstration remained non-violent with protesters demanding justice for Lyoya and other Black lives lost in shootings involving police. 
Protesters carrying a Black Lives Matter flag march inside a fountain at Veterans Memorial Park following a march from the Grand Rapids Police Department. The protest was held in response to videos of the shooting of Patrick Lyoya, by a Grand Rapids police officer from April 4, being released to the public on Wednesday
Protesters march through downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, near the police department during a demonstration held after videos of the shooting of Patrick Lyoya, by a Grand Rapids police officer from April 4, were released to the public on Wednesday, April 13
Protesters demanded that officials make public the name of the officer in the shooting
Activists rally for Patrick Lyoya in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Tuesday, April 12, after he was shot by a police officer
Protesters hold signs that read ‘Blue Lives Murder’ following the fatal shooting of Lyoya
Some businesses cut their hours short Wednesday, closing early. But the demonstration remained non-violent with protesters demanding justice for Lyoya and other Black lives lost in shootings involving police
In a statement, Gov. Whitmer called for any protests to be peaceful.
‘The Michigan State Police will conduct a transparent, independent investigation of the shooting,’ Whitmer said.
‘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.’
As in many US cities, Grand Rapids police have been occasionally criticized over the use of force, particularly against Black people, who make up 18 percent of the population.
In 2017, officers searching for a middle-aged woman wanted for a stabbing handcuffed an 11-year-old girl instead at gunpoint while she was leaving a house. Those officers were not disciplined.
Months earlier, other Grand Rapids officers held five innocent teenagers at gunpoint, the New York Times reported. And in 2020, local outlets reported, an officer was suspended for two days after shooting a protester in the face with a gas canister.
In November, the Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments in a lawsuit over the practice of photographing and fingerprinting people who were never charged with a crime. Grand Rapids said the policy changed in 2015.
A downtown street has been designated Breonna Taylor Way, named for the Black woman and Grand Rapids native who was killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky, during a botched drug raid in 2020.
Her mother, Tamika Palmer, attended the news conference with the Lyoya family, their legal team and community leaders.
‘We can’t keep letting these people kill our children,’ she said.