Attorney hired by GVSU's Copp family

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The family of a Grand Valley State University student shot and seriously injured in a drug raid has hired an attorney to investigate the case.

Attorney Fred Dilley, who helped win a $1 million award for a man shot by Grand Rapids police in the 1980s, said he was hired by the family of Derek Copp.

Dilley said he was asked to "investigate what appears to be shocking police activity" that resulted in Wednesday's shooting.

Among the questions he has: Did the Ottawa County deputy fire the shot accidentally? Or was he purposely shooting at Copp?

The deputy, a member of the West Michigan Enforcement Team, fired the shot during a raid of Copp's apartment at Campus View Apartments.

The bullet broke Copp's ribs, punctured a lung and pierced his liver, his parents said. Dilley said surgeons have removed the .40-caliber hollow-point bullet.

Copp told his parents that the shot was fired as he raised his right arm to shield his eyes from the light of a bright flashlight.

The shooting has led to student protests.

Dilley, a Grand Rapids attorney, represented Joseph O'Brien after he was shot and paralyzed by Grand Rapids police during a stand-off at his West Side home. A federal jury awarded O'Brien about $1 million over his lifetime.