LANSING, Mich. — Republican candidates to be Michigan's next governor took diverging paths this week in responding to videos that showed a Grand Rapids police officer fatally shooting 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya.
Some GOP hopefuls, including former Detroit police Chief James Craig, called for people to wait until the completion of an ongoing Michigan State Police investigation to judge what happened. Others criticized the Black Lives Matter movement. And conservative commentator and businesswoman Tudor Dixon of Norton Shores said the video of the incident "shows enough."
"We will not let this officer — or any officer — be sandbagged for reasonably protecting themselves and our communities by weak politicians who are afraid to say and do what is right," Dixon said in her Thursday statement.
In roughly 20 minutes of footage released by Grand Rapids police during a Wednesday press conference, a white officer, who has not been named, can be seen wrestling with Lyoya, a Black man, before firing his weapon into the back of Lyoya's head.
The video appeared to show Lyoya trying to gain control of the officer's stun gun at some points during the struggle.
State Sen. Marshall Bullock, D-Detroit, chairman of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus, previously described the incident as "an execution-style shooting." And Patrick Lyoya's brother, Thomas, said the video "was the most horrifying thing I’ve seen in my life."
But Dixon said the officer "spent well over a minute trying to subdue Lyoya."
"Lyoya completely refused to comply. Instead, he chose to physically and aggressively resist," Dixon contended. "He chose to take control of the officer's Taser, which the officer ordered him to drop repeatedly for over a minute.
"A police officer in that situation has an unenviable, split-second, life-altering choice to make: take a life or risk losing his own."
Craig, who served in law enforcement for more than 40 years, noted in his statement Wednesday that not all of the facts have been released yet about the incident.
"When an officer is faced with an imminent threat to his life or another person, deadly force may be the only option," Craig said. "My prayers are with the Lyoya family, the Grand Rapids community, and the men and women who serve.
"The Taser was deployed unsuccessfully, and my core concern will always be whether there was an imminent threat to the officer's life after the taser deployment. These facts will have to be vetted during the course of the investigation. We should wait for the independent MSP investigation to be completed."
Another Republican candidate with law enforcement experience, Michael Brown, a captain within the Michigan State Police, said it's important for people "not to rush to judgment."
"This tragic incident will be thoroughly investigated and reviewed," Brown said.
He added, "The Grand Rapids police chief was right to release videos in an effort to maintain transparency."
Brown's campaign said he will not be making any additional statements about the case because the Michigan State Police is the lead investigating agency.
Pastor Ralph Rebandt of Farmington Hills has been endorsed for governor by the Southeastern Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police. In his statement, he criticized the Black Lives Matter movement and said he "will boldly stand behind the rule of law in our society."
"The badge displayed on their uniform in the shape of a shield represents the shield of protection they courageously and unselfishly bear," Rebandt said. "In the line of duty, police officers are sometimes called upon to make crucial, split second, life altering decisions. These are never easy for any officer."
Twelve Republican hopefuls are currently seeking the party's nomination for governor. The winner will take on Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November. Whitmer vowed Wednesday that the Michigan State Police will conduct a "transparent, independent investigation" into Lyoya's death.
"We must come together and build a future where Black Michiganders are afforded equal rights, dignity and safety in our communities," Whitmer said in her statement. "I will never stop fighting to make Michigan a more equitable and just state.”
In a video message Thursday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Garrett Soldano, a chiropractor of Mattawan, accused Whitmer of spreading a "narrative" that the police are the problem.
"If you do not resist, it is very, very, very rare that you are going to get shot by a police officer if you do exactly what they tell you to do," Soldano said.
Soldano said he will be praying for all of those involved in the April 4 shooting.
In his own statement, businessman Kevin Rinke of Bloomfield Township labeled what happened in Grand Rapids a "tragedy."
"I trust the Michigan State Police to conduct a full and complete investigation that will help deliver the facts," Rinke said. "My wife Janine and I will continue to pray for the Lyoya family, the officer involved and the entire Grand Rapids community."
On Wednesday evening, the day the video was released in Grand Rapids, another GOP candidate, real estate broker Ryan Kelley of Allendale, posted a Facebook message about Black Lives Matter, saying he had been "face to face with people of BLM and Antifa on more than one occasion."
"When this happens, this is your chance to rise up," Kelley wrote. "To take a stand for what is right. To stand for America.
"You cannot back down and take a break. That shows weakness. We cannot have weak leaders in Michigan or America. We need fighters. The fighters will be the ones protecting your rights."
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(Staff Writers Beth LeBlanc, George Hunter and Sarah Rahal contributed.)
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