DETROIT — Patrick Lyoya died of a gunshot wound to the back of head, an independent autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Werner Spitz confirmed.
Attorneys for Lyoya’s family held a news conference on Tuesday announcing the results of the autopsy that they hired Spitz to conduct.
“This is evidence of this tragic killing, which his family believes was an execution,” said Ben Crump, one of the family’s attorneys.
Spitz said in a report that Lyoya otherwise had a normal life expectancy, which he estimated would have been about 82 years old. Crump accused the unnamed Grand Rapids police officer of profiling Lyoya in a “classic” case of “driving while Black.”
The officer did a U-turn to pursue Lyoya's car, according to video viewed by attorney Ben Crump.
"How did he know that Patrick's tag registration wasn't valid when he's coming from the opposite direction?" Crump asked.
The comments came during a Detroit press conference where forensic pathologist Dr. Werner Spitz was discussing the results of his autopsy of Lyoya.
Kent County Chief Medical Examiner Stephen Cohle has not released the results of his autopsy, and spokeswoman Lori Latham said he is awaiting toxicology results that could take 60 days.
Spitz did not do a toxicology exam, said Ven Johnson, another attorney for Lyoya’s family. The attorneys sought an independent exam because they didn’t know anything for sure other than that Lyoya died of a gunshot wound, Johnson said.
Spitz has worked on many prominent cases, according to a release from Crump, including investigations into the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr. and Michael Jackson. He has an office in St. Clair Shores and worked on the 1987 crash of Northwest Flight 255 that killed almost all of its passengers except for a 4-year-old girl.
He is expected to provide more information on "Lyoya’s official cause of death, his physical state leading up to his murder and information and manner on his life expectancy," according to a release.
The news conference is coming a day after the family and National Action Network said civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton would deliver the eulogy on Friday for Patrick Lyoya. The funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at Renaissance Church of God in Christ, 1001 33rd Street SE, in Grand Rapids.
Sharpton heads the National Action Network and has "vowed" that he and the network will pay for the funeral costs of Lyoya.
Crump said he will "make a call to action" during the service.
Lyoya was shot by an unidentified Grand Rapids Police Department officer during an April 4 traffic stop in which the officer asked for Lyoya's driver's license and Lyoya eventually fled the car and a chase on foot ensued. The two men ended up struggling over the officer’s stun gun, according to video footage released last week by the Grand Rapids Police Department, before the officer shot Lyoya in the back of the head while Lyoya was face down on the ground.
In roughly 20 minutes of footage, Lyoya can be heard saying, "stop what you are doing, please" while the officer can be heard shouting to Lyoya "let go of the Taser" before firing the fatal shot.
Michigan State Police are investigating the shooting and Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker said his office plans to review Lyoya's death once State Police conclude their investigation. Becker said he doesn't expect to ask the state attorney general for help.
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