The family of Patrick Lyoya, who was fatally shot in the head in April during a confrontation with a police officer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has filed a lawsuit against the officer who pulled the trigger as well as the city.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Lyoya's family said they have uncovered evidence that proves racial profiling and the use of excessive force in the killing.
Lyoya, a 26-year-old native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was shot in the head on April 4 after then-police officer Christopher Schurr pulled him over for a faulty license plate.
Police Officer Christopher Schurr stops to talk with a resident in Grand Rapids, Mich., Aug. 12, 2015.
Emily Rose Bennett/AP, FILE
Body camera footage showed Schurr struggling with Lyoya, eventually forcing him to the ground and shouting, "Stop resisting," "let go" and "drop the Taser," before shooting him. Lyoya was shot in the back of the head, according to the Kent County medical examiner.
Police said Lyoya had grabbed at the officer's stun gun during the altercation.
A monitor displays video evidence of a Grand Rapids police officer struggling with and shooting Patrick Lyoya, during a press conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., April 13, 2022. Lyoya, 26, was shot and killed about 8:10 a.m., on April 4, after what police said was a traffic stop.
Grand Rapids Police Department via AP
Lyoya's death prompted protests throughout Grand Rapids.
Schurr, a seven-year veteran of the Grand Rapids Police Department, has also been charged with second-degree murder in the case. He pleaded not guilty.
Schurr was fired from the police force in June.
ABC News' Kiara Alfonseca contributed to this report.
