After recently released videos revealed the 26-year-old Black man being fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop, Patrick Lyoya’s father said his son was “killed like an animal.”
“I came here to save my family,” Peter Lyoya told CBS News. “My son has been killed like an animal.”
“The one [who] was supposed to be protecting Patrick’s life is the one [who] killed Patrick and take Patrick’s life away,” he added.
On Thursday, Attorney Ben Crump invited Lyoya’s parents and an interpreter from Congo to push for accountability.
“As his mother and father said, they believe their son was executed,” Crump said.
According to Grand Rapids police, the officer’s identity will not be revealed until he is named a suspect.
City officials are urging residents to remain calm until the Michigan State Police investigation is completed.
Earlier this week, Brandon Davis, director of oversight and public accountability for the City of Grand Rapids, said, “We will seek transparency. We will seek the truth. Justice requires that this matter be handled fairly and efficiently.”
WWMT-TV reported that demonstrators marched through downtown for the second straight night on Thursday. Like the protest the night before, it was loud but peaceful. The demonstrators were demanding the officer’s name be revealed and that he be charged.
On Wednesday, The Grand Rapids Police Department released various recordings of the April 4 confrontation.
In the video, Lyoya is pulled over by a White officer for having mismatched license plates.
When the officer asks to see a license, Lyoya asks: “What did I do wrong?”
After the officer tells Lyoya to put his hands behind his head, he resists and runs away on foot.
The officer tackles Lyoya on a nearby lawn, and they struggle on the ground. He fires his Taser twice, but he misses. Both men reach for his Taser, and he tells them, “Let go.”
During the incident, the officer’s body camera goes off, although it’s unclear why. Other videos show that while the officer was on top of Lyoya, he fired one shot to the head.
