Officer Who Killed Patrick Lyoya Heading To Trial After Appeal Rejected

The police officer charged with killing Patrick Lyoya in 2022 will finally stand trial after the Michigan Supreme Court rejected his appeal.

According to M-Live, on Dec. 2, the court ruled against former Grand Rapids officer Christopher Schurr’s attempt to have his case reviewed, paving the way for the trial to proceed. Schurr is accused of fatally shooting Lyoya, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the back of the head at close range during a traffic stop on April 4, 2022, near Southeast Grand Rapids.

Schurr pulled Lyoya over for allegedly driving with an unregistered license plate. When Lyoya fled the scene on foot, Schurr chased and caught up with him. The two struggled over the officer’s Taser before Schurr shot Lyoya in the head while they were on the ground in a yard, with the Taser beneath Lyoya.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling, stating that all levels of the judicial system have consistently affirmed that the charges were justified. “The courts at all levels have consistently held throughout this process that the charges were justified, and the case should proceed to have a jury decide the matter,” Becker told M-Live in a statement. “We hope to move forward as quickly as possible to have a final resolution for Patrick’s family, who has been patiently waiting for years for this to occur.”

Ven Johnson, the attorney representing Lyoya’s family in a civil lawsuit against Schurr, expressed frustration at the long delay, saying, “It’s sad that a person who kills another person has the ability to tie them up for years before even going to trial.”

Schurr was fired from the Grand Rapids Police Department in 2022, just days after being charged with murder. Notably, it took prosecutors two months to bring charges against him.

Lyoya’s family filed a lawsuit in 2022, alleging Schurr used excessive force during his traffic stop.

As previously reported, in December 2022, Lyoya’s family filed a lawsuit against Schurr and the city of Grand Rapids. The suit claimed excessive force, stating that no reasonable officer would have used deadly force in response to Lyoya’s attempt to flee a traffic stop. The family’s lawyers also allege that Schurr had no reasonable suspicion that Lyoya posed a threat when he shot him in the back of the head. Furthermore, the lawsuit accuses the city of a pattern of whitewashing excessive force cases and failing to discipline officers despite evidence of misconduct.

The lawsuit also highlighted racial disparities in policing, citing a 2017 study that found Black drivers were more than twice as likely to be stopped by Grand Rapids police despite making up only 14% of the city’s population. The family’s attorneys argued that the city has a history of racial discrimination and inadequate training and supervision of officers.

In late 2022, a Grand Rapids district court judge ordered Schurr to stand trial after reviewing the evidence, but Schurr’s attorneys appealed the decision to the state Court of Appeals. With the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling, the trial is now set to move forward. 

SEE ALSO:

Patrick Lyoya’s Family Lawsuit Claims Grand Rapids Cops Have A Racist ‘Custom’: Here Are Some Examples

Grand Rapids Video Confirms Cop Shot Unarmed Patrick Lyoya In ‘The Back Of The Head’ Following Misdemeanor Traffic Stop