Rev. Al Sharpton calls for authorities to release the name of police officer involved in Patrick Lyoya’s death

By Emma Tucker, Kristina Sgueglia and Theresa Waldrop, CNN

The Rev. Al Sharpton on Friday demanded that authorities reveal the identity of the Grand Rapids police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop earlier this month.

“How dare you hold the name of a man who killed this man?” Sharpton said at the funeral for Patrick Lyoya, held at a crowded Renaissance Church of God in Christ in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “Every time a young Black man or woman is arrested in this town, you put their name all over the news. Every time we’re suspected of something, you put our name out there.”

Both Sharpton and attorney Benjamin Crump, who has represented the families of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Michael Brown and other high-profile victims of police violence, called for justice for Lyoya during the service.

“We have to fight to get justice for Patrick,” Crump said during the service. “Will you stand for justice for Patrick? Will you speak up for justice for Patrick? Will you stand up for right? Will you stand up for justice?”

Sharpton additionally called on the Department of Justice to investigate the shooting.

Lyoya’s family and friends celebrated his life during his funeral on Friday. Sharpton, the founder and president of the National Action Network, said he and the organization have pledged to help the family cover funeral costs, CNN has reported.

“We, in the name of Patrick, are going to have a litmus test in these elections about our right to vote, our right to deal with our policemen. We will stand with good cops. We will stand with those police that uphold the law,” Sharpton said. “But if a policeman is wrong, we gonna call it wrong, and we gonna call your name.”

An officer from the Grand Rapids Police Department fatally shot Lyoya on April 4 after pulling him over for an allegedly unregistered license plate. The police department released several forms of video footage capturing the approximately two minute and 40 second interaction.

An autopsy commissioned by Lyoya’s family determined he was shot in the back of the head. Lyoya, 26, wasn’t armed at the time of the shooting, according to a family attorney.

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights has made a request to the Justice Department to launch a “pattern-or-practice” investigation into the police department following the fatal shooting of Lyoya, who moved to the United States with his family from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2014.

Gwen Carr, mother of the late Eric Garner, also attended Lyoya’s funeral service, as did other family members of people killed by police.

What the video shows

The footage released by the police department begins with the officer walking toward Lyoya’s car, CNN previously reported.

The video footage shows Lyoya turning his back to the officer and appearing to walk toward the front of the car. The officer puts his hands on Lyoya’s shoulder and back, saying “no, no, no, stop, stop,” and Lyoya is seen resisting the officer’s touch and backing away from the officer.

The officer tackles him to the ground. Video shows Lyoya getting up and standing, the officer drawing and then deploying a Taser, though police say the prongs didn’t hit Lyoya.

The two end up physically struggling on the ground, where the officer shot Lyoya, who wasn’t armed at the time of the shooting, according to a family attorney.

The officer who shot Lyoya is heard saying “let go of the Taser” before firing the fatal shot.

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CNN’s Peter Nickeas contributed to this report.