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Grand Rapids police implementing de-escalation training, new policies in wake of Lyoya’s death, charges of racism
At a time of elevated public scrutiny, the Grand Rapids Police Department will undergo de-escalation training, improve victim support services and make the department more transparent, according to the GRPD chief. At a Grand Rapids City Commission’s committee meeting Tuesday, GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom presented his findings and plans based on his initial review of […]
Activists demand officer who killed Lyoya be convicted, GRPD make more changes
Activists in Grand Rapids say there won’t be justice for 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya, a Black man who was shot and killed by a Grand Rapids police officer in April, until that officer is convicted for second degree murder. Last week, Officer Christopher Schurr was charged with one count of second degree murder for killing Lyoya […]
Officer will be charged in death of Patrick Lyoya, Kent County prosecutor announces
On Thursday afternoon, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced Officer Christopher Schurr will be charged with one count of second degree murder for shooting and killing 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya during a traffic stop. Schurr has reportedly turned himself in and will be arraigned in the 61st District Court in Grand Rapids tomorrow, Becker said. Benjamin […]
In wake of Lyoya’s death, a reckoning with Grand Rapids’ history of police brutality
The day before Grand Rapids officials released the video of Grand Rapids Police Department Officer Christopher Schurr shooting and killing Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old unarmed Black man, police began erecting concrete barricades around the department’s headquarters in downtown Grand Rapids. The barriers, a police spokeswoman said at the time, were a “precaution” as police prepared […]
Grand Rapids police chief confirms Officer Christopher Schurr shot, killed Lyoya
The Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) has released the name of the officer who shot a 26-year-old unarmed Black man on April 4, an incident that has sparked numerous protests across the state in the weeks since. Patrick Lyoya was shot in the back of the head after he was pulled over on a traffic […]
‘This was a human rights issue’: Over 1,000 people gather to mourn Lyoya, call for justice
A packed church of more than 1,000 people from across the world on Friday mourned and celebrated the life of Patrick Lyoya with prayers, song and a call for justice. “I come here today to … tell you this can not end today,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who delivered the eulogy at Lyoya’s funeral […]
In Lansing, Black lawmakers and activists demand police reform, justice for Lyoya
The police shooting of an unarmed Black man in Grand Rapids continues to make waves across Michigan, with Black lawmakers this week calling for GOP leadership to take up long-awaited reforms and protestors gathering at the state Capitol to demand justice for Patrick Lyoya. The 26-year-old was fatally shot in the back of the head […]
Column: The killing of Patrick Lyoya shows our approach to public safety is broken
Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese father of two, was shot and killed by a Grand Rapids police officer on April 4 following a traffic stop because his license plate did not register as belonging to the vehicle he was driving. Lyoya is now one more hashtag on Twitter and one more statistic showing the sixth […]
Sen. Runestad defends police shooting Lyoya, mocks reporters as ‘leftist handmaidens’
The Michigan Senate was abuzz with floor speeches on Tuesday. State Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) openly mocked and denounced media coverage of a police shooting of an unarmed Black man in Grand Rapids — naming one Detroit Free Press reporter in particular. And state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) slammed state Sen. Lana Theis […]
Independent autopsy shows Lyoya was shot by officer, gun was likely pressed to his head
Attorneys for the Patrick Lyoya family released Tuesday the findings of an independent autopsy performed by a world-renowned forensic pathology expert, Werner Spitz. Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Black man, was fatally shot in the back of the head by a white Grand Rapids police officer on April 4. The Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) released […]