Video: Michigan cop on Black man's back, fatally shot him

Video shows a Michigan police officer struggling with a Black man over a Taser before fatally shooting him in the head while the man was face down on the ground

A Black man face-down on the ground was fatally shot in the back of the head by a Michigan police officer, the violent climax of a traffic stop, foot chase and fight over a stun gun, according to videos of the April 4 incident released Wednesday.

Patrick Lyoya, 26, was killed outside a house in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The white officer repeatedly ordered Lyoya to “let go” of his Taser, at one point demanding: “Drop the Taser!”

Citing a need for transparency, the city’s new police chief, Eric Winstrom, released four videos, including critical footage of the shooting recorded by a passenger in Lyoya’s car on that rainy morning.

“I view it as a tragedy. ... It was a progression of sadness for me,” said Mr. Winstrom, a former high-ranking Chicago police commander who became Grand Rapids chief in March. The city of about 2,00,000 people is about 150 miles (240 kilometres) northwest of Detroit.

Video shows Lyoya running from the officer who stopped him for driving with a license plate that didn’t belong to the vehicle. They struggled in front of several homes while Lyoya’s passenger got out and watched.

Mr. Winstrom said the fight over the Taser lasted about 90 seconds. In the final moments, the officer was on top of Lyoya, kneeling on his back at times to subdue him.

“From my view of the video, Taser was deployed twice. Taser did not make contact,” Mr. Winstrom told reporters. “And Mr. Lyoya was shot in the head. However, that’s the only information that I have.”