Patrick Lyoya shot to death by Grand Rapids Police - here's what the video showed
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Patrick Lyoya was shot to death on April 4 by a Grand Rapids Police Officer after the two fought following a traffic stop. On Wednesday, April 13, Grand Rapids officials released four different videos of the death of the man. Here's what we saw.
During the press briefing on Wednesday, Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom, Director of Oversight and Public Accountability, Brandon Davis, and City Manager Mark Washington all spoke about the shooting. Prior to the video being released, the city leaders warned of the graphic nature of the videos.
They released four videos: dashcam from the responding officer's car, the officer's bodycam, doorbell camera from a neighbor's home, and a cell phone video shot by a passenger in the car that Lyoya was driving.
MORE: Patrick Lyoya was shot in head by Grand Rapids Police officer
The officer stopped Lyoya because of a license plate issue, which is a ticketable offense in Michigan.
Grand Rapids Police Dashcam video
The first video released by police was from the dashcam of the officer's car. As soon as Lyoya pulls his car to the curb, he opens the door and steps out.
The officer commands him to stay in the car as he approaches him. Audio from the dashcam does not detail the nature of the traffic stop at this point.
It does show Lyoya start to walk away from the camera as the officer follows him. Lyoya then runs back towards the camera and the officer chases him into a driveway and then appears to have him into custody.
He and Lyoya are both upright and walking but they're still struggling at this point. That's when the two then disappear off camera to the right.
Nothing could be seen or heard for a few minutes until the passenger gets out of the front seat.
About 3 minutes into the video, a single gunshot is heard off camera.
A few minutes later, more officers arrived and ordered the witness to back up.
Grand Rapids Police bodycam video
The next video released by police was from the bodycam of the responding officer.
It starts with him climbing out of his cruiser and approaching Lyoya as he's stepping out of the car.
He tells Lyoya that he's stopping him and asks him for his license. Lyoya asked him what he did wrong and the officer said the 'plate does not belong on this car'.
Lyoya then opens the driver's side door, looks inside, and speaks with the passenger. The audio could not be heard.
Lyoya started to walk towards the front hood of the car and the officer told him to stop before radioing in that he had someone running.
The officer is then holding him down and yelling to get his hands behind his back. The camera is pressed against Lyoya's back and not much is visible aside from Lyoya's sweater.
The officer then pulls his Taser out, which Lyoya grabs with his left hand as the officer deploys the Taser.
In the video, he tells Lyoya to let go of the Taser multiple times but the video stops. The body camera was deactivated at this point and Chief Winstrom later said it had come detached in the struggle.
Doorbell camera
The third video released by police was from a doorbell camera about two houses away. In that video, you can see the officer and Lyoya speaking in the street and then the ensuing chase around Lyoya's car before ultimately landing in the driveway across the street from the doorbell camera.
In this video, you can see and hear the officer pull out his Taser and deploy it while telling Lyoya to let go of the Taser. Shortly after that, a gunshot can be heard.
The shooting was partially visible from this angle.
Witness' cell phone video
The third, and most graphic video, was shot by the passenger in the front seat of Lyoya's car.
He started recording as the offier and Lyoya were struggling in the yard next to where Lyoya was pulled over.
In this video, which doesn't show much of the original struggle, you can hear the Taser discharge as the witness is talking. The witness says that Lyoya didn't grab the Taser as the officer yells at him to let it go.
This when the officer can clearly be seen on top of Lyoya and telling him to drop the Taser. At this point, the officer has Lyoya face down on the ground and is on top of him.
The officer reaches to his back right hip for his weapon and pulls it out. Then he fires the gun once, shooting Lyoya in the back of the head.
Due to the graphic nature, we have removed the moment of the shooting from the video.
The officer then sat on top of Lyoya's motionless body and demanded the witness get back.
He did not attempt to render any aid to Lyoya.
Michigan State Police is handling the investigation. The officer has not been named but has been suspended from the department the investigation is conducted.
State Attorney General Dana Nessel released the following statement:
"I have every expectation that the Grand Rapids Police Department will fully cooperate with the Michigan State Police in their investigation and that the local prosecutor will perform a thorough analysis of the facts of law that apply in this case."