Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese refugee, was killed after a traffic jam in Grand Rapids on April 4. “I did not believe there was genocide in this country,” his father, Peter Lyoya, told an interpreter on Thursday. “I did not know that here in America, execution can be done in a way… to be killed by a police officer.” The Lyoya family came to the United States to escape the violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2014. Patrick, a factory worker, was the eldest of six children and had two young daughters. The video released by Grand Rapids police chief Wednesday shows a brief chase on foot on a residential street after Liogia ran from a police officer who stopped him from driving with a sign that did not belong to the vehicle. They show up for a while to fight for the officer’s Taser, before apparently shooting Lyoya in the back of the head while kneeling on his back. “[It] “It made me cry when I saw my son being killed by a police officer for a small mistake,” said Peter Lyoya. “My heart was really broken… My life was Patrick, my son. I thought Patrick would take my place. “And to see that my son was killed like an animal by this policeman.” The family’s lawyers said the officer should be prosecuted, fired and named. “Patrick’s brothers and sisters want to know who killed him and would like to see his picture to understand that ‘this is the man who took our loved one,’” Peter said. The officer has been on paid leave with his police powers suspended while the Michigan State Police is conducting a criminal investigation. Police bosses have said they will not be identified publicly unless prosecuted. A rally will be held in Grand Rapids on Friday, as protests in support of the family’s call for justice have grown since the video was released. However, prosecutor Chris Becker, who will decide whether to indict the seven-year-old veteran officer who opposed the release of the video, said he did not expect a quick decision. Grand Rapids is a small town of about 200,000 people located about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, where, like many parts of the United States, police have been criticized for using excessive force, especially against blacks, who make up 18%. of the population. At a news conference inside the Renaissance Church of God in Christ at Grand Rapids on Thursday, Lioya’s parents explained that they had sought asylum in the United States seeking refuge after years of civil unrest and domestic violence in eastern Congo. “We were told that in America, there is peace, there is security, you are not going to see killings anymore, that it was basically a safe haven,” his mother, Dorkas Liogia, told the Free Press through a translator. “What is so amazing?” [the man] who is supposed to protect us is the one who shot my son. “This was my favorite son. “You know how you love your eldest son,” he said. The family was accompanied by her lawyers and the mother of Breonna Taylor, a black woman of Grand Rapids descent who was shot inside her home by police in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2020. “The video shows us that this is what his mother and father said – an execution. And there is no way we can turn it around or justify it, “said Ben Kramb, a prominent civil rights lawyer who has represented many victims of police violence as Patrick’s parents wept. “This is an unjustified use of deadly force, because the police turned the traffic stop into an execution.” Crump said the officer could have waited for a reserve when Liogia ran, but instead became “violent.” He accused the unknown officer of violating the protocol using Taser while he was close to Lyoya, adding that it was a “natural instinct” for Lyoya to try to avoid surprise. “It simply came to our notice then [the officer] “to be afraid that Taser will be used against him,” Crump said. The Lyoya family first fled the DRC to Malawi, where they were granted asylum to live in the United States. In recent years, the Congolese have become the largest group to settle in Michigan, surpassing refugees from the Middle East, as Donald Trump has made it almost impossible for Arabs and Muslims to seek asylum in the United States. Family lawyers have pointed out language barriers that Congolese and others face when confronted by police. “We condemn Russian soldiers who shot Ukrainian civilians in the back of the head,” Crump said. “Why do not we condemn police officers here in the United States of America to shoot black civilians in the back of the head? “If it’s wrong in Ukraine, it’s wrong in Michigan Grand Rapids.” Dorcas described her eldest son as the type of person who “would like to be around” and said he often made her laugh. Details for the funeral are expected soon. “As a parent, I thought maybe it was my son who was going to bury me, help me with my funeral,” Dorkas said. “But it’s amazing, I’m the one burying my son.”
