GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Grand Rapids Saturday night to protest the killing of Patrick Lyoya.
This is the 4th night of demonstrations following the release of video showing the shooting death by a Grand Rapids police officer.
A smaller group of protesters remained walking through the downtown area as night fell.
***Caution: This is may contain strong or vulgar language***
Watch the late-night protest here:
The demonstration started at Rosa Posa Parks Circle at 5 p.m. Saturday. As many as 500 marched through downtown streets for a couple hours. The crowd passed by the Kent County Courthouse, Calder Plaza, DeVos Place and other landmarks.
A protest of about 500 people is marching through downtown Grand Rapids to protest the police killing of Patrick Lyoya on April 4th. Lyoya was on his stomach when he was shot in the head by a GRPD officer after a brief struggle. pic.twitter.com/rmWwmRLF58
— Doug Reardon (@ReardonReports) April 16, 2022
A little before 7 p.m., demonstrators marched into a section of road that is under construction and blocked off at Monroe & Fulton Street, west of Van Andel Arena. Some protesters became irritated by the closure but organizers redirected the crowd to turn around.
After 7 p.m., the crowd met up at the intersection of Louis and Ottawa in downtown Grand Rapids. It's at that intersection that State Police on bikes blocked the roadway preventing people from walking south on Ottawa toward Van Andel Arena where the Kid Rock concert is being held. There were a number of Grand Rapids Police officers behind the blockade.
The demonstrators chanted and yelled at police gathered at the intersection. The police remained silent.
Protestors are now locking arms in front of @GrandRapidsPD pic.twitter.com/d5TcqB8d5D
— Matt Witkos Reporter (@matt_witkos) April 16, 2022
At 7:20 p.m., an organizer on a megaphone announced they are keeping it peaceful and dispersing from the area out of respect for the elders and the Lyoya family. He told those who remained that it was on them.
Around a dozen people remained at the intersection chanting and yelling at police until around 8 p.m.
***Caution: This is may contain strong or vulgar language***
Watch the protest during daylight hours here:
The area of downtown Grand Rapids in dotted red lines shows the construction zone through August 2022.
READ MORE: Shooting death of Patrick Lyoya: a timeline of events
READ MORE: 'Going to take a lot of hard work' to earn back trust of Black community, GRPD leader says
