Ben Crump Reveals Patrick Lyoya Autopsy Results Confirming Death at Hands of Grand Rapids Police Department Officer
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Ben Crump Reveals Patrick Lyoya Autopsy Results Confirming Death at Hands of Grand Rapids Police Department Officer (Detroit, MI) — Today, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and attorney Ven Johnson revealed the findings of an independent autopsy, performed on Patrick Lyoya by forensic pathology expert Dr. Werner Spitz. Lyoya was shot and killed by a Grand Rapids Police Department officer on April 4.
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Patrick Lyoya’s Shot in Back of Head, Point Blank, Straddled by Officer
What began as a routine traffic stop over a vehicle registration escalated to a struggle in which the officer tackled and wrestled 26-year-old Lyoya to the ground. The officer eventually shot Lyoya in the back of the head, at point-blank range, while he was straddling him.
Dr. Spitz’s report confirms Lyoya died as the result of a single gunshot wound that entered the back of his skull near the midline. The bullet traveled up and to the right side of his head, coming to rest near his right temporal bone. Based on a thorough medical examination, Dr. Spitz stated in the report that Lyoya’s normal life expectancy was estimated to be approximately 82-years-old had he not been killed.
“This independent autopsy report confirms what we all witnessed in the horrifying video footage – unarmed Patrick Lyoya was conscious until the bullet entered his head, instantly ending what could have been a long and fruitful life,” said Crump. “This young man and his family moved to the United States to pursue a better and safer life, yet he was brutally killed at the hands of a police officer, who failed to deescalate the situation before he took Patrick’s life.”
Dr. Spitz, a world-renowned forensic pathologist, has worked on several prominent cases, including the investigations of the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
Not Grand Rapids Police Department’s First Case for Excessive Force
“The Grand Rapids Police Department and the officer who pulled the trigger that killed our client must be held accountable,” said Johnson. “This isn’t the first case we’ve pursued against the Grand Rapids for the use of excessive force. Although, the department claims it will make changes to their use of force policy, clearly, that hasn’t happened yet. This was homicide.”
Ben Crump Reveals Patrick Lyoya Autopsy Results Confirming Death at Hands of Grand Rapids Police Department Officer
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