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Autopsy shows Patrick Lyoya was over legal limit before fatal shooting

Dr. Stephen Cohle says Lyoya's independent autopsy revealed his blood alcohol level at the time he was shot was .29%. The legal limit is .08%.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kent County's chief medical examiner tells 13 ON YOUR SIDE that Patrick Lyoya was above the legal limit before he was fatally shot on April 4.

Dr. Stephen Cohle says Lyoya's independent autopsy revealed his blood alcohol level at the time he was shot was .29%. The legal limit is .08%.

So what does that mean for any person with that high of a blood alcohol level?

"It impairs judgment, it impairs reaction time, it can make people much more aggressive than when they're sober," explains Cohle.

He adds that impairment may have played a role in the traffic stop.

"Our judgment or ability to calculate, to understand the consequences of our acts, all that is impaired by a high alcohol level," says Cohle.

Dr. Cohle added that no other substances were found.

The autopsy also showed that Lyoya died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head. No other injuries were found on his body, including any marks from a taser.

RELATED: One month later: Here's where the investigation into Patrick Lyoya's shooting death stands

Patrick Lyoya was shot and killed following a traffic stop on April 4 on Griggs Street and Nelson Avenue SE in Grand Rapids. 

Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom recently identified Christopher Schurr as the GRPD officer who pulled the trigger. 

The Michigan State Police's investigation into the shooting remains incomplete, however, detectives sent over their partial findings to the Kent County Prosecutor's Office. 

The Michigan State Police told 13 ON YOUR SIDE Wednesday that detectives have not yet received forensic data back from the manufacturers of the taser and body camera.

Once received, those reports will be sent to the Kent County Prosecutor.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker says he will not make a final decision on the case until he has all of the evidence.

Activists, the family and the Grand Rapids chapter of the NAACP are calling on GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom to immediately fire Officer Schurr and are also demanding that Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker hand over the case to the Michigan Attorney General’s office.

   

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