A Grand Rapids, Michigah, police officer's decision to stop a car Patrick Lyoya was driving because of a license plate issue was legal, criminal justice experts said, but they and legal analysts were divided about whether the officer could be criminally charged in Lyoya's fatal shooting.
Some experts also wondered if better training could have led to de-escalating the April 4 traffic stop and whether the 26-year-old motorist posed a threat when he ran away from his vehicle after failing to obey the officer's request for documents.
In video released Wednesday by the Grand Rapids Police Department, the unidentified officer tells Lyoya he was pulled over because his license plate didn't match his vehicle. Lyoya was driving the vehicle and had a male passenger.
