A Michigan police officer revealed the identity of the Grand Rapids law enforcement officer responsible for shooting Patrick Lyoya, a Congo native, in the back of the head during an Apr. 4 traffic stop.
The suspect, Christopher Schurr, said Chief Eric Winstrom is the officer that killed 26-year-old Lyoya after a struggle. In a statement, Winstrom said that in the interest of transparency, to reduce ongoing speculation, and to avoid any further confusion, he was confirming the identity of the man responsible for the heinous act.
Identity of Patrick Lyoya Shooter
The police chief said in the aftermath of the shooting and the release of the video footage of the incident that he would withhold the officer's name unless he were charged with a crime. It was known to be a long-standing practice that applied to the public as well as city employees.
The family of the victim and Black leaders, including Rev. Al Sharpton, the host of MSNBC's "PoliticsNation," had repeatedly urged for transparency and the release of the police officer's identity. On Friday, Sharpton shouted that people wanted the officer's name, saying that authorities cannot set a precedent of withholding the names of personnel who have killed others unless he was charged, as per NBC News.
Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Chief Winstrom said that the Grand Rapids Police Department would be releasing documents regarding the incident. The shooting started off as a traffic stop where Lyoya then ran from the officer before the situation became a struggle between the two. The officer then shot the victim in the back of the head while the latter was still face down on the ground.
Read Also: Climate Activist Dies After Setting Himself on Fire in Front of Supreme Court on Earth Day
Schurr was on top of the victim, who was unarmed, and was heard on video footage demanding that the victim take his hand off the officer's Taser. A forensic pathologist who conducted an autopsy at the request of the victim's family said that the gun was pressed to Lyoya's head when the shooting took place.
According to WWMT, authorities placed the officer on administrative leave and stripped him of his police powers until the conclusion of the MSP's investigation. Sharpton, prior to the release of the officer's name, argued that if Black people committed a crime, their identities would immediately be made public.
Fatal Police Shooting
Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington acknowledged the demand for the officer's name after the funeral. He said that he would discuss the matter with Winstrom and city employment officials, which later resulted in the reveal of the officer's name.
Michigan state officials have requested the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a "pattern-or-practice" investigation into Schurr's fatal shooting of Lyoya. The reason for the traffic stop is that the victim's car allegedly had an unregistered license plate.
In the past, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR), which was the one that made the request for the DOJ to launch an investigation, made similar requests. An official from the same office renewed the request with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan on Apr. 7, three days after the shooting of Lyoya and before it received significant national media attention, CNN reported.
