Another deadly police operation in the US caused a stir in which an African-American was violently killed. Police in Grand Rapids, Michigan released multiple videos Wednesday of the April 4 operation that ended in a headshot.
A white police officer put 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya in his car that day – because of a license plate irregularity – and then things got out of hand.
Videos captured everything
Police have released several videos of the incident: from the officer’s body camera and the camera in his car, as well as from the surveillance camera of an adjacent house and the passenger’s cell phone camera. Here’s the sequence of the scene:
The policeman therefore first asked Lyoya for his driver’s license. After a short conversation, the 26-year-old tried to run away. The officer ran after him and threw him to the ground in an adjacent front yard. A lengthy scuffle ensued, with the officer initially using his taser, but Lyoya fought it off. In the end, with Lyoya lying on the ground below him, the police officer drew his pistol and shot him in the back of the head.
“Very unfortunate event”
Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said the investigation is still ongoing. The officer is on leave until the end of the trial. According to current knowledge, no weapon was found at Lyoya. City officials spoke of a “deeply regrettable event” that understandably caused anger and pain.
Many deadly police operations in the US
Deadly police operations of a similar nature take place with sad regularity in the United States. The case of George Floyd is representative of that: In May 2020, the African-American died in a brutal police operation in Minneapolis. Videos show how police officers clamp the unarmed man to the ground. White officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for nine minutes as Floyd begged him to breathe. The case sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and racism.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
