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Hundreds of people have held protests after police in Grand Rapids, Michigan, released three videos of a white police officer shooting a Black man dead.
Patrick Lyoya, 26, was fatally shot on April 4 in what activists refer to as the latest example of police violence against young Black men.
The three videos were taken from the dashboard of the officer’s squad car, from his body-worn camera, and from a neighbor’s surveillance camera.
Lyoya was pulled over for a non-matching license plate, the police said. One video shows Lyoya getting out of the car, and the officer gets out and tells him to get back in the car.
The officer asks for his driver’s license. Lyoya appears to be complying, but then closes the driver-side door and starts running around the car. The officer chases and tackles him to the ground on the front lawn of a house.
It can be seen the officer lying on the back of Lyoya for about 90 seconds as the two scuffled. The officer can be heard telling Lyoya to “stop” and to “let go of the Taser.” He then proceeds to shoot him.
After the videos were released on Wednesday, demonstrators marched through the city’s downtown, carrying “Black Lives Matter” placards and chanting “no justice, no peace.”
“I don’t think the establishment is ever gonna listen to us,” said Bryan Foster, a Black man who attended demonstrations. “It’s in their best interest not to. It’s in their best interest to keep this war against my people going forever.”
Meanwhile, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) issued a written statement, saying, “Another Black man has died at the hands of police, and the officer in this video has got to be held accountable.”
“President Biden, sign the police reform executive order now. While we fully understand an executive order is not a substitute for meaningful legislation, we must do everything in our power to protect our community,” the NAACP said.
The name of the officer who shot Lyoya has not been released and, so far, no charges have been issued. The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Massive protests have been held across the country following the killings of African-American men, George Floyd and Daunte Wright, by white police officers in 2020.
Floyd’s death in May 2020 sparked angry protests across the US and across the world.
The protests evolved into a nationwide battle between progressives and far-right groups after former President Donald Trump took a hard-line stance against the anti-racism protests.
