lansing — Governor Gretchen Whitmer promised Wednesday afternoon that the Michigan State Police will conduct a “transparent and independent investigation” into the fatal shooting of a Grand Rapids police officer of 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya.
Whitmer and Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist made public statements minutes after the city of Grand Rapids released video of the April 4 incident. Pictures showed the unidentified officer shooting Lyoya while the officer was on top of him during a fight in a neighborhood
A Michigan State Police investigation has begun. When it’s complete, Whitmer said, prosecutors “must consider all the evidence, comply with the law and take appropriate action on the charges.”
“Justice is fundamental to safety, and without justice, we are all less safe,” the governor said.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has offered assistance to Kent County Attorney Christopher Becker if he “determines that my department’s expertise is warranted.”
“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 conduct a thorough analysis of the legal facts that apply to this case,” Nessel said in a statement. release.
Both Whitmer and Gilchrist said they had spoken to Lyoya’s family. The governor said his father, Peter, asked him “to convey your hope that any demonstration in honor of his son will be peaceful.” Whitmer said he shares his point of view.
“We must come together and build a future where Black Michigan people have equal rights, dignity and safety in our communities,” he said. “I will never stop fighting to make Michigan a more equitable and just state.”
Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington told reporters that downtown rallies are planned for the next few days through the weekend.
Lyoya came to the United States as a refugee with his family fleeing violence, the governor said, describing him as “a son, the father of two young daughters, and the older brother of five siblings.”
Gilchrist said he was “heartbroken by what we have all witnessed.”
“Black people in Grand Rapids, in Michigan and across the country are mentally, emotionally and physically drained from generations of struggle,” Gilchrist said. “However, we keep going.
“When we speak out and make our voices heard, we must do so in a way that raises our call for justice beyond deepening the pain of this community. We must never cease in our efforts to reverse inequalities, create systemic change, and ensure justice for communities. color”.
Gilchrist said the Michigan State Police investigation must be thorough and transparent in order to be held accountable and understand what happened. It must happen “as soon as possible”.
Republican gubernatorial candidate James Craig, a former Detroit police chief, said all the facts of the situation are not yet available. But he said that he has concerns.
When an officer is facing an imminent threat to his or her life or the life of another person, deadly force may be the only option, Craig said.
“My prayers are with the Lyoya family, the Grand Rapids community and the men and women who serve,” Craig added. “The Taser was unsuccessfully deployed, and my primary concern will always be whether there was an imminent threat to the officer’s life after the Taser was deployed.
“These facts will have to be examined during the course of the investigation. We should wait for the MSP’s independent investigation to be completed.”
A group of advocacy groups led by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan has called for Grand Rapids to release the name of the police officer and take other steps to seek justice.
The ACLU joined the Greater Grand Rapids NAACP, LINC UP, and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center in demanding:
- The appointment of a prosecutor from outside Kent County, who does not work regularly with the Grand Rapids Police Department, to handle the case. The groups noted that this is “legally required in many states and is widely recognized as best practice.”
- The launch of a federal investigation into the murder, as well as into the culture and history of the Grand Rapids department.
- The inclusion of a community representative in the ongoing contract negotiations for the Grand Rapids Police Union, “which for too long have shielded officers from accountability and do not reflect community priorities for how achieve public safety in our city.
- Giving both the Board of Civil Appeals and the Office of Public Oversight and Accountability the power, money, and resources “to provide real civilian oversight and be able to affect real change.”
Michigan’s only African-American member of Congress and state lawmakers joined Whitmer in calling for accountability and transparency.
“My heart sank in my chest as I watched the video of the police shooting of Patrick Lyoya, an unarmed black man. This is yet another death and loss of life at the hands of an untrained officer whose motives must be revealed during the investigation,” U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, a Southfield Democrat, said in a statement.
“Gun violence and excessive force are not always random. They are deliberate and always lead to unfortunate injuries and deaths. We need full accountability and transparency. Anything less would be unacceptable.”
Lawrence called on the US Senate to vote on and pass the House-passed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would allow police officers to be sued and award damages for violations of the constitutional rights of police officers. persons. Under statutory immunity, courts have ruled that lawsuits are only allowed when an officer violates a clearly stated statutory or constitutional right.
“How many more lives must be lost, families broken and communities wounded before we take meaningful action?” Lawrence said. “Right now a family in Grand Rapids, with a two-year-old boy and a three-month-old boy, are missing their father. Patrick Lyoya should still be alive today.”
State Sen. Marshall Bullock, D-Detroit, chairman of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus, said justice is not justice “when another black body is lying face down, killed in an execution-style shooting.”
“Justice cannot exist in a system where accountability and proper training for police who are supposed to protect and defend an entire community, and not just people who look like them, is an idea of last minute,” Bullock said in a separate statement. “I hope and pray that the legal outcome of this incident brings some peace to the family.”
Sen. Winnie Brinks, a Democrat from Grand Rapids, said she was “outraged and heartbroken” by Lyoya’s death.
“Our community rightfully demands an accurate and complete investigation,” Brinks said. “I urge everyone involved to proceed transparently and with sensitivity to the urgency and pain felt by our community.”
Rep. David LaGrand, a Democrat from Grand Rapids, said he would “work for justice in the days ahead.”
“Justice demands consequences for wrongs, and our community needs confidence that justice will be served in this case and confidence that justice will be served frankly. So I’m thankful that Grand Rapids city leaders are committed.” with transparency in this process”. LaGrand said in a statement.
“When the individual does something wrong, there have to be consequences, and when the systems are wrong, we need to fix those systems to prevent further tragedies.”
After seeing the footage of the Lyoya shooting, Sen. Adam Hollier, a Detroit Democrat, said that for 15 years, the country has seen black men killed on the streets by police officers. If it were any other group of people, the reforms would have already happened, Hollier said.
“This was a routine traffic stop… There’s no such thing as a routine traffic stop when you’re black,” Hollier said.
Former US Representative Justin Amash, a former Republican-turned-Libertarian who represented Grand Rapids, said Lyoya was shot in the back of the head while lying on his stomach.
“No part of what we saw makes that right. We are failing as a community to properly investigate and train police,” Amash said. “I will pray for peace in Grand Rapids. But we must have justice, because without justice, peace is illusory.”
Staff writers Beth LeBlanc and Sarah Rahal contributed.
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