Protesters take to streets after Grand Rapids police shooting video’s release

Protesters took to the streets in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Wednesday after police released videos that showed what led up to the police shooting of Black man Patrick Lyoya.

The protest lasted roughly four hours and spanned a number of locations in the city, according to WOOD-TV.

Hundreds of individuals first congregated in Rosa Parks Circle at around 5 p.m. chanting Lyoya’s name, WOOD-TV reported. Some protesters held signs that read “no justice, no peace, no racist police” and “arrest violent cops.”

The protesters then held a moment of silence for Lyoya at 6 p.m. before moving through Monroe Center to the headquarters for the Grand Rapids Police Department, WOOD-TV reported. Concrete barriers with chain-link fencing blocked the entrance of the headquarters, prompting some protesters to jump over them.

Officers wearing riot helmets then came outside, according to the local news outlet.

Firecrackers were reportedly set off outside the headquarters. Protesters walked around the facility then traveled to Veterans Memorial Park, where the demonstration ultimately came to a close at roughly 9:30 p.m., WOOD-TV reported.

The protests came after the Grand Rapids Police Department released four videos on Wednesday that showed what led up to the police-involved shooting of Lyoya. The four videos — which authorities showed at a press conference — came from a dashboard camera, a body camera, a doorbell camera and a cellphone.

The police department said it has nine source videos in total.

Lyoya’s family had asked people not to protest, writing in a statement: “No protests at this time. We don’t want violence out there. We want to avoid any violence,” according to WOOD-TV.

The April 4 incident began when Lyoya, who had just been stopped by an officer, exited his car, according to the video footage. The officer said he stopped the man because his license plate did not match his car, though it remains unclear why the officer ran his plate.

The officer asked Lyoya to get back into his car, which he didn’t. The officer then asked Lyoya if he had a license, and instructed him to get it from his car. Lyoya at one point appeared confused, prompting the officer to ask for he spoke English, and the man said that he did.

Lyoya opened his car door but did not retrieve his license, then stepped away. When the officer tried to stop him, Lyoya started running.

The two struggled in the front yards of houses for some time, with the officer seen on top of Lyoya in videos. The officer told Lyoya to “stop” and “stop resisting.” At one point, Lyoya moved to grab the officer’s stun gun, which was deployed but did not make contact with Lyoya.

The two men continued struggling until the officer shot Lyoya. The officer then backed away.

Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Winstrom said the Michigan State Police is looking into the incident.