Patrick Lyoya shooting raises issue of officer name release

By COREY WILLIAMS and DON BABWIN
Associated Press

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, Michigan, 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. 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.