GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A community conversation that will focus on the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya at the hands of a Grand Rapids Police officer is scheduled for Thursday evening.
The event is being hosted by the Black Impact Collaborative at the Ottawa Hills High School auditorium at 6 p.m. It comes just a day after the Grand Rapids Police Department released footage of the fatal police shooting of 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya.
Lyoya was killed by a GRPD officer on Monday, April 4 just after 8 a.m. near the intersection of Griggs Street and Nelson Avenue SE in Grand Rapids. Videos of the incident show Lyoya and the officer getting into a physical altercation following a traffic stop.
After a struggle on the ground, the officer and Lyoya stand up with Lyoya's hands behind his back. You can see the officer pull out his taser to attempt to subdue Lyoya.
The officer can be heard yelling several times, "Stop resisting," and "Let go of the taser!"
The struggle ends with the officer getting on top of Lyoya's back before pulling out his firearm, putting the firearm to Lyoya's head at point-blank range, and then firing the weapon.
After the footage was released, hundreds of community members gathered in downtown Grand Rapids as part of a peaceful protest, chanting Patrick's name and calling for action.
Now, the Black Impact Collaborative is inviting the community to an event featuring city leaders and mental health clinicians to help process the trauma stemming from Lyoya’s death.
The event will feature the following speakers:
- City Commissioner Senita Thompson Lenear
- City Commissioner Nathaniel Moody Sr.
- City Attorney Anita L Hitchcock
- Nadia Brigham with Brigham Consulting & Black Impact Collaborative
- Grand Rapids Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Larry Johnson
- Fridah Kanini with A Glimpse of Africa
- Dr. Lennox Forrest with Faith Counseling Services
- Rebecca Spann with Mental Health Clinicians of Color in GR
At the event, there will also be an audience Q&A section with the Mental Health Clinicians of Color in Grand Rapids.
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