6/9/22 - Charges To Be Filed In Death Of Patrick Lyoya

The Kent County Prosecutor says Grand Rapids Police Officer Christopher Schurr will be arraigned Friday on charges connected to the death of Patrick Lyoya.

(KENT COUNTY, Mich.) -  The officer who shot and killed Patrick Lyoya during a traffic stop in Grand Rapids nine weeks ago will be charged with second-degree murder.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said his office filed the charge Thursday against Officer Chris Schurr.

Becker said Schurr turned himself in.  Arraignment is scheduled for Friday.

Becker made his decision public during a news conference at Michigan State Police Sixth District Headquarters in Walker.

Becker said he spoke with the Lyoya family just before the press conference and sent them a letter, written in their native Swahili, about his decision. He thanked the Lyoya family for “their tremendous patience and understanding as this process has developed.” He said he appreciated their calls for peace and calm on behalf of Patrick.

Becker said the charges were not meant as a message to police. “I’m never big on sending messages with charges,” he said. “I’m not thinking that Kent County officers or any police officers in general thought they had a license to do something like this.”

The prosecutor said he did not file a separate felony firearms charge, as is common, because a 1991 court ruling doesn’t allow it against officers using a gun in the line of duty.

Becker said that now that he’s filed charges, he wasn’t able to provide many details.

The delay in sharing information was due to a number of factors.  There was a lot of material to sort through and they had to wait on a number of reports.  He also took time to consult with several experts.

The MSP investigation was separate from an internal GRPD investigation. Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom has said he would not make any decisions about Schurr’s employment until the state police investigation was finished. Schurr has been off the job on paid administrative leave.