The department released a video of a police body camera, a video of a police unit, a mobile phone and a home surveillance system as officers answered reporters’ questions at a press conference on the April 4 fatal incident.
Police said before the press conference that neither the videos nor the audio had been edited. Some video images have been edited or blurred to ensure privacy.
Police Chief Eric Winstrom said the officer would not be publicly identified unless there were criminal charges. The employee is on paid leave and his police powers have been suspended, the chief said. Michigan State Police is conducting a criminal investigation.
“The video clearly shows that this is an unnecessary, excessive and fatal use of force against an unarmed black man who was confused by the meeting and horrified for his life,” Crump said.
There were many protests and rallies on behalf of Lioja. Dozens of people called for justice Tuesday night as they gathered in front of a city commission meeting.
City officials said on Wednesday that they had taken “precautionary measures” around the police headquarters ahead of expected demonstrations. Several hundred people protested in front of the building after the video was released, many chanting “Justice for Patrick.”
What the videos show
The incident began shortly after 8 a.m. CT on April 4, when a police officer stopped a vehicle for improper registration, authorities said. The employee has been in the department for seven years, according to police.
Leia, who is driving, goes out to talk to the policeman, videos show.
The videos include approximately two minutes and 40 seconds of interaction, which begins with a police officer walking towards the car. Lioya is seen getting out of the vehicle and has been instructed by the police to return to the car … dude, I’m stopping you, do you have a license? Do you have a booklet?
“For what?” Lioya answers.
“I’m stopping you, do you have a license? Do you have a driver’s license, do you speak English?” he asks.
Lioya confirms that she speaks English and says that his book is in the car. He opens the driver’s front door and talks to an unidentified passenger in the car.
He then closes his door, turns his back on the policeman, and appears to be heading for the front of the car.
“No, no, no, stop, stop,” the policeman is heard saying, placing his hands on Lioya’s shoulder and back.
Lioya is seen resisting the officer’s touch and quickly pulls away from the officer, running away from him before the officer knocks him to the ground.
The sound of Lioja’s speech is indistinguishable, but as he continues to resist arrest, the officer is repeatedly heard to say “Stop” and “Stop resisting.”
The video shows Lioja getting up and standing up, the officer drawing and then deploying an electric shocker. Winstrom told reporters that the Taser was used twice during the confrontation, but the teeth did not hit Lyoya.
“Release the taser,” the policeman is heard saying in the video from his camera.
At that moment, the carried camera of the policeman was deactivated. Winstrom said it was necessary to press a button for three seconds to turn off the body chamber and believed that the pressure from Lioja’s body had caused the deactivation.
Another corner of the incident, filmed by a neighborhood home surveillance camera, captures the rest of the quarrel.
After the police officer said, “Run Taser,” the two continued to fight in the front lawn of an unidentified home. Approximately 90 seconds later, a police officer was heard shouting “Shoot”, followed by “Throw Shock”.
While the video was shot from a distance, less than three seconds later, a police officer was heard shooting at Lioja, according to the audio recording of the video. The video on a mobile phone also shows the fatal shot.
Leia was shot in the head, the boss said.
“It should be noted that Patrick never used violence against this employee, although the police officer used violence against him in several cases, which was to stop the crime movement,” Crump said.
Asked by CNN what police officers are trained to do in these situations, the chief said: “Usually the answer is that you are trying to put him in custody … You are trying to secure this person.
“The next issue, I’m sure, will be the use of force in politics, and I won’t comment on that. But the test will be whether, according to the sensible police officer, whether this deadly force was necessary to prevent the death or grievous bodily harm of this officer. “
Winstrom said he spoke to the officer, who the boss said was shocked.
The family came to the United States in 2014
The Lioja family moved from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United States in 2014 and worked with their representative, Pastor Israel Siku, after Patrick’s death. Siku’s first language is Swahili and he also acts as a translator for Lioya.
He told CNN that he was with Lioja’s father just days after the shooting, when they were invited by police to review a video of the shooting.
Siku described his father’s reaction to watching the video: “He melted (betrayed), he had nothing to say. He almost fainted.”
At a community forum on Sunday, Siku told a church full of people, “I saw the video, I couldn’t sleep.”
“The boy was on the floor, the cop, while lying on top of him, pulled out a gun and shot him in the head and back. Patrick did not move,” he added.
Michigan State Police is investigating
Michigan state police said that once the investigation is over, the evidence will be handed over to the district attorney, who will decide on the charges.
Kent County Attorney Christopher Becker asked the public for patience.
“The independent Michigan state police investigation into the incident has not been completed. It is an extremely critical incident and one that everyone involved in the investigation takes very seriously,” he said in a statement Wednesday.
“… while the videos released today are important evidence, they are not all evidence … We are required by law to review all available evidence before deciding whether charges should be brought and, if so, what is appropriate. accusations must be made, “he said.
A death certificate has been drawn up with the cause and manner of Lioja’s death, but will not be completed until the results of toxicology and tissue tests are obtained from an agreed laboratory, Kent County Chief Medical Officer Dr Stephen D. Cole said in a statement on Wednesday. , adding that his office had asked for results to be speeded up.
The full autopsy report, which will be made after receiving the results of the toxicology and tissue tests, will not be publicly available until the state police has completed its investigation, as is the standard operating procedure, Cole said.
The medical examiner said the family was also offered the opportunity to seek an independent autopsy.
CNN’s Stephanie Becker and Jennifer Henderson contributed to this report.
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