GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Attorneys for the family of Patrick Lyoya say a Grand Rapids police officer should face criminal charges, claiming he failed repeatedly to deescalate the situation and instead escalated it before shooting and killing him.
During a Thursday afternoon press conference at a Grand Rapids church, civil rights attorney Ben Crump called for the officer to be fired and charged for killing Lyoya.
Crump said what’s seen in the video is the police officer escalating a “minor traffic stop” into an “execution.” He added Lyoya is never seen engaging in a violent act against the officer despite the officer continuing to escalate the situation.
Crump said it can only be imagined what was going inside Patrick’s mind as he was trying to flee the situation.
Attorney Ven Johnson also argued that criminal charges are warranted and promised a civil lawsuit for excessive use of deadly force.
The Grand Rapids Police Department Wednesday released video showing the April 4 killing of Lyoya. The video shows the officer pulling Lyoya over. There was then a struggle that included Lyoya grabbing the officer’s Taser. The officer, who was atop Lyoya as the two struggled, shot him once in the head, killing him.
