GRAND RAPIDS (WWJ) - An official autopsy report revealed 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya had a blood alcohol level three times over the legal limit at the time he was fatally shot by a Grand Rapids police officer in early April.
The report conducted by Kent County Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cohle showed Lyoya's blood alcohol level was 0.29 at the time of his death.
The report matched the findings of an independent autopsy done by an expert hired by Lyoya's family.
Blood alcohol levels this high impact a person physically and mentally, rendering an individual impaired. Police say accidents are more likely as sensory functions are compromised.
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Dr. Chole said typical autopsy results take about 60 days to perform, but Lyoya's took only four weeks as the office was mainly waiting on the toxicology report.
The official autopsy also confirms that Lyoya died from a single gunshot wound to the back of his head.
Lyoya, who is a Black man and an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was pulled over by Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr on April 4 for a license plate issue, resulting in a lengthy physical altercation and struggle between the Schurr and Lyoya, police said.
The officer discharged his weapon while Lyoya was face down on the ground, fatally shooting Lyoya.
The forensic pathologist hired by Lyoya's family, Dr. Werner Spitz, concluded in his report that the bullet fried by Schurr traveled up and to the right side of Lyoya's skull and lodged near his right temporal bone.
It is unclear at this time when the Kent County Prosecutor will decide if charges will be filed against Schurr.
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