Patrick Lyoya’s father says he and his family have a right to know the name of the White officer who fatally shot the 26-year-old Black man.

But the police chief in Grand Rapids says he will only do so if the officer is charged in the April 4 shooting that followed a brief foot chase and a struggle over the officer’s Taser.

Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom, right, and Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington react as a TV display shows video evidence of a Grand Rapids police officer struggling with and shooting Patrick Lyoya at Grand Rapids City Hall on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.

Eric Winstrom’s department is among those across the U.S. that have faced scrutiny for withholding identities of officers in cases where Black people were wounded or killed during interactions with police. Some have said it’s to protect the officers from retribution. Others, like Grand Rapids, point to policies that prohibit the release of an officer’s name before charges are filed.

“I’m asking for the law to release his face, his image and his identification because I would love to know the person who has killed my son. I have the right,” Peter Lyoya said through a translator during an emotional news conference after video of the shooting of his son was released last week.



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