GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — After Friday's funeral service for Patrick Lyoya, civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton spoke with the media.
He said he was honored the Lyoya family asked him to do the eulogy, and he intends to fight for Justice for Patrick all the way.
The Grand Rapids Police officer who shot and killed Lyoya during a traffic stop in early April hasn't been named because Chief Eric Winstrom says he hasn't been charged with a crime.
Sharpton says withholding his name sets a bad, national precedent.
"We cannot tolerate that kind of precedent, because suppose he's not charged and he does something a year from now, we won't know he was the one who did this," Sharpton said. "Citizens under investigation, we put their names out. Police can't have a special way of being dealt with."
Secondly, the reverend is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to begin a civil rights investigation.
"We had a federal and state prosecution in George Floyd and got convictions in both. We had both in Amaud Arbery and got convictions in both. So the local prosecutor can think it's all going to end with him, no," he said. "It's all going to begin at the same time. We won't see this be covered up by local authorities."
Sharpton pushed for federal police reform with the George Floyd Police Reform Act but it failed in the Senate in 2021.
The proposed federal legislation would've increased accountability for law enforcement misconduct, and restricted the use of certain policing practices.
"I had continued meetings with President Biden who continued to push for that bill," Sharpton said. "As I said in my eulogy, it needs to be part of the litmus test of who we vote for in these midterms election."
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump says he's talked with President Biden's administration about the Lyoya case, but wouldn't go into detail about those conversations.
Detroit-based attorney Ven Johnson, who is also representing the Lyoya family, said civil action isn't off the table.
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