On Friday, the Huffington Post reported that police in Grand Rapids, Michigan are still withholding key information about the killing of Patrick Lyoya, including the identity of the officer responsible — and unrest is growing.
Lyoya, a Congolese refugee, was shot while the officer had him pinned to the ground on his back by the knee. Experts are unclear why exactly he was stopped in the first place, as he did not appear to be committing any crimes; the officer hadn't flagged anything other than license plates that weren't matched to his car.
"The footage was released after demands from activists and Lyoya’s family, but there are still plenty of unanswered questions about Lyoya’s death," reported Phillip Jackson. "Who was the officer, and what history, if any, does he have of violence against civilians? Why did the officer’s body camera go dark just before the end of the fatal encounter? What grounds did the officer have for interacting with Lyoya in the first place?"
The incident has already triggered protest marches, with hundreds of people taking to the streets.
"Demonstrations have taken place outside the Grand Rapids Police Department for days, with protestors demanding more information and for the police officer to be charged. The officer, a seven-year veteran, has been placed on paid leave," continued the report. "'They need to release the cop’s identity. They need to hold the cop accountable for every action that he did, because we’ve seen the whole video,' Lyoya’s cousin told local media. 'I feel disgusted that he’s home right now sitting home watching TV and still getting paid.'"
In recent years, the killings of several Black men in police confrontations have resulted in uproar, most of which did not result in police being convicted of any wrongdoing. Two recent incidents that actually led to convictions of police officers were the killing of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes, and the killing of Daunte Wright by a Brooklyn Center, Minnesota officer who mistook her gun for a Taser.
