Opening statements set to begin in trial of Christopher Schurr, charged in death of Patrick Lyoya
A jury is seated and opening statements are set to begin Monday morning in the trial of Christopher Schurr, the former Grand Rapids, Michigan, police officer charged in the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya.
Schurr is charged with second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Loyoya was killed at the end of a traffic stop in Grand Rapids on April 4, 2022. According to police, he ran and physically resisted Officer Christopher Schurr after failing to produce a driver's license.
Video of the incident shows Lyoya was shot in the back of the head after Schurr demanded that Lyoya "let go" of Schurr's Taser, officials say.
Defense lawyers have argued that Schurr feared for his safety.
The Michigan Supreme Court in December 2024 denied an appeal made by Schurr to overturn a Court of Appeals opinion that there is enough evidence to send the case to trial.
Schurr, an officer for seven years, was fired by the Grand Rapids Police Department two months after the shooting.
Peter Lyoya, the father of Patrick Lyoya, said shortly after the incident that his son was "killed like an animal."
The family fled from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2014 for a safer life in the U.S.
"The one [who] was supposed to be protecting Patrick's life, is the one [who] killed Patrick and take Patrick's life away," Peter Lyoya said.
Note: The above video first aired on April 23, 2025.
