Kent County Prosecutor declines to retry former Grand Rapids police officer in motorist's death
GRAND RAPIDS — An ex-Grand Rapids police officer who fatally shot a Black motorist following a 2022 traffic stop will not face a retrial after a first proceeding ended in a mistrial earlier this month.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced Thursday that he didn't think another trial for Christopher Schurr, 34, would produce a new outcome.
'I did not arrive at (the decision) lightly,' Becker said. 'Basically, what it boils down to is I don't think we reach a different verdict if I do do a retrial in this case.'
Schurr was tried for second-degree murder for the shooting death of 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya, a Congolese immigrant.
Over the course of the six-day trial, the jury heard testimony from 22 witnesses, including several experts who gave conflicting testimony on whether Schurr's decision to use deadly force was justified.
The trial ended May 8 with jurors unable to reach a verdict after deliberating for nearly four days on whether to convict Schurr of second-degree murder, manslaughter or to acquit him.
'This is an extremely difficult decision,' Becker said. 'I looked at everything: I looked at our case. I looked at the defense case. I looked at the arguments that were made. I looked at the jury selection process, because I think that's one of the biggest things that, going into this, we were thinking about getting a good jury. I even went over and watched more of the trial.'
Becker said he spoke to jurors after the trial and said they were evenly split with four wanting to convict, four wanting to acquit and four undecided. As deliberations continued, the vote evolved to 10-2 in favor of acquittal, although Schurr's attorney, Matt Borgula, has said the it was 11-1 in favor of acquittal after his own discussions with jurors.
'I thought we presented a good case. I presented everything I wanted. All the facts were out there that I had. It's not like I can change anything,' Becker said.
Schurr pulled Lyoya over on April 4, 2022, for having a license plate that didn't match the car he was driving. When Lyoya couldn't produce a driver's license, Schurr attempted to place him under arrest, but the motorist ran. Schurr tackled Lyoya to the ground and attempted to use his Taser, but was too close and the motorist deflected the probes. The two then wrestled briefly over the device when the officer pulled out his handgun and fatally shot Lyoya in the back of the head.
Schurr was fired from the Grand Rapids Police Department after he was charged in the shooting in June 2022.
Becker said Thursday he spoke with Lyoya's father, Peter Lyoya, after reaching the decision this week.
'Obviously, he's very disappointed in that decision. I know there are many members of the community that are disappointed in the decision.'
Attorney Ven Johnson, who represents the Lyoya family, issued a statement shortly after Becker's announcement Thursday.
'The Lyoya family has not only lost Patrick, but now the hope that former officer Christopher Schurr will ever be held criminally accountable for taking Patrick's life,' the statement read. 'With today's decision, what was once a pause in justice has now become a permanent reality. This is not a verdict nor the outcome the Lyoya family sought.'
In December 2022, Lyoya's family filed a $100 million civil lawsuit in federal court against the city of Grand Rapids and Schurr. In August 2023, a judge dismissed the case against the city, but allowed the litigation to proceed against Schurr.
'We will continue to stand with the Lyoya family in their pursuit of truth, accountability and justice for Patrick, and are awaiting our day in civil court,' Johnson said.
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