Lawyers said Tuesday that an independent autopsy showed that Patrick Lyoya, a Black man, was fatally shot in the back of the head by a Michigan police officer after a traffic stop earlier this month.
Driving the news: The independent autopsy appears to match what was shown in videos released publicly last week. The videos showed the unidentified Michigan police officer lying on the back of Lyoya, 26, before he fatally shot him in the head.
- "This independent autopsy report confirms what we all witnessed in the horrifying video footage: Unarmed Patrick Lyoya was conscious until the bullet entered his head, instantly ending what could have been a long and fruitful life," attorney Ben Crump said, AP reports.
- The independent autopsy was performed by Dr. Werner Spitz, a former Detroit-area medical examiner.
- The official autopsy report has not been released to the public, per AP.
- "The only injury on this body was a typical bullet wound of entrance," Spitz said during a press briefing on Tuesday.
The big picture: Lyoya's death sparked outrage from his family and others who watched the video.
- "My heart is broken to see an officer being on top of my son and to shoot him in the back of his head, my heart is really broken," Peter Lyoya, Patrick's father, said, Reuters reports. "I'm asking for justice for Patrick."
- The videos released last week showed an unidentified police officer and Lyoya wrestling on the ground in the moments before the shooting, appearing to be fighting for control of the officer's Taser.
What to watch: State police will submit their findings to the Kent County prosecutor for consideration of any charges, AP notes.
Go deeper ... Videos show Michigan police officer fatally shooting Black man
