Patrick Lyoya’s Father Calls For Charges Against the Officer Who Shot His Son
Peter Lyoya took his six children from Congo in 2014 to escape violence. Now he fears he brought them to the U.S. to die.
A Michigan police officer fatally shot his eldest son, 26-year-old Patrick, in the head this month following a traffic stop in Grand Rapids. Video released Wednesday shows a brief foot chase and struggle over the white officer’s Taser before he shoots Patrick Lyoya in the head as the Black man is face down on the ground.
Peter Lyoya said Thursday that he came to the U.S. to get away from prolonged civil unrest in which several rebel groups have vied for control of territories in mineral-rich eastern Congo. Patrick, who had two young children of his own, lived in Grand Rapids and visited Lansing on weekends and would spend money on his siblings, his father said.
