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Independent autopsy confirms Patrick Lyoya was shot in the head by Grand Rapids police

An independent autopsy confirmed that Patrick Lyoya died instantly earlier this month when he was shot in the back of the head by a police officer in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The autopsy was conducted by Dr Werner Spitz, who was employed by the legal team representing the Lyoya family, led by attorney Ben Crump.

Spitz said at a press conference in Detroit on Tuesday: “No question has killed this young man.

Spitz said: ‘This man died from a gunshot wound and a wound to the back of the head.

The report said Lyoya was “awake and aware of the fact that a gun was being held against the back of his head. Immediate death when the gun is fired. ”

The Kent County medical examiner’s autopsy and a toxicology report have yet to be released.

Spitz has worked on a number of prominent cases, Crump said, including the investigations into the assassinations of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.

Lyoya was stopped on April 4. Four videosincluding from dashcams and cell phones, released last week by Grand Rapids Police shows Lyoya and the officer struggling on the ground, with Lyoya attempting to control the officer’s stun gun close.

The officer eventually restrained Lyoya with his knee on his back and eventually shot him as he was face down on the ground.

Spitz demonstrated the trajectory of the bullet using several models, including a human skull.

Lyoya is a refugee who came to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2014.

The officer involved has been placed on paid leave and has not been identified. Crump and his family have called for identification, termination and prosecution of the officer over Lyoya’s death.

“Today, based on scientific evidence, we can confirm that Patrick Lyoya was shot in the back of the head,” Crump said Tuesday. “There is now scientific evidence of this tragic murder and what his family believes to be an execution.”

The investigation into Lyoya’s death is being handled by the Michigan State Police, who will hand over their findings to the Kent County Prosecutor’s office to consider whether charges should be filed in the case.

The Grand Rapids Police Department declined to comment Tuesday. Jennifer Kalczuk, a spokeswoman for the department, said it would be “inappropriate to comment on any aspect of the incident” while the state police investigation was ongoing.

Crump added that a civil rights lawsuit is underway and that his team will “independently and vigorously” investigate every aspect of the death.

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