Patrick Lyoya's autopsy results show Grand Rapids police officer shot him in back of head

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The results of an independent autopsy conducted on Patrick Lyoya, the man fatally shot by Grand Rapids police, confirm he was shot in the back of the head.

Dr. Werner Spitz was retained by attorneys Ben Crump and Ven Johnson to perform an autopsy after 26-year-old Lyoya was shot and killed by a Grand Rapids police officer on April 4.

READ MORE: Autopsy confirms Patrick Lyoya was shot in back of head

"The only injury on this body was a typical bullet wound of entrance," Spitz said. "He was fully aware at one point, or over periods depending on what transpired before that gun being held to his head."

Lyoya's death was the latest case of a minor traffic stop escalating to a deadly shooting between a Black citizen and a white police officer. The 26-year-old's family said he was "killed like an animal" after footage of the shooting was released.

Michigan State Police are conducting an investigation of the shooting. Grand Rapids police released four videos of the incident last week, each showing different angles of struggle between Lyoya and the officer. 

The fourth video, caught on a cellphone by the individual who was in the car with Lyoya before the shooting, was the only one that showed the moment when the officer fired his gun. 

 During the encounter with the police officer who has not been named since he hasn't been charged, Lyoya ran around his car and into a yard. The officer chased him, and a struggle ensued.

Read: Here's what the Patrick Lyoya shooting videos showed

In the videos, the officer can be heard telling Lyoya to let go of his Taser.

Eventually, the officer got Lyoya on the ground. While on Lyoya's back, the officer shot him in the head.

Grand Rapids officials said they released shooting video to be transparent. The shooting is under investigation by Michigan State Police.

Related: Patrick Lyoya's funeral scheduled for Friday

Lyoya's death has led to protests, calls for justice, and questions about how the officer could have handled the situation differently.