Decision not to retry former police officer sparks outrage among Grand Rapids residents
Demonstrators gathered outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids to rally against the decision not to retry Christopher Schurr. May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
'No Justice, No Peace' and 'Justice for Patrick' chants were heard again in downtown Grand Rapids Thursday, as community members gathered to demand justice for Patrick Lyoya and accountability for Grand Rapids police.
Dozens of demonstrators rallied with signs in hand at the doors of the Kent County Courthouse to share their frustration and anger against the decision by Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker not to seek a second trial against former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr.
Schurr was charged with second-degree murder and later fired from the police force after fatally shooting Lyoya, a Black Congolese refugee, in the back of the head while he was facing the ground following a traffic stop on April 4, 2022. The confrontation escalated into a struggle when Lyoya tried to flee after failing to produce a driver's license.
During the announcement of his decision, Becker noted his decision was based on the fact that 'there was never a majority for a guilty verdict' among the 12 jurors, whom he interviewed after the mistrial was declared May 8.
Thursday's 'emergency rally' was organized by organizations including the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression, demanding a retrial on the Schurr case.
'I'm going to be very clear in saying that if the Grand Rapids City Commission is not willing to listen to us and reform the police, there may be a time for us to escalate. That doesn't mean being violent, but it does mean maybe we need to disrupt the way that things are done in this city,' said Ivan Diaz, 27, a Michigan State senate candidate.
The rally was just the latest outlet for members of the public to vent their anger. Days after the mistrial, community members gave passionate comments at the Grand Rapids City Commission meeting, demanding justice for Lyoya and accountability over police actions. Additionally, on May 15, the NAACP organized a community listening session where residents expressed their experiences with police abuse and their outrage over the mistrial.
'I am going to keep showing up with everyone of you until we get the changes that we need. Because if we don't, one of us, or one of our family members or friends, we will continue to be at risk of becoming Mother Patrick, Mother Rowley, Mother Sammy,' Erykai Cage, 44, said during her speech.
As the rally continued, more people began to approach the crowd, including Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand and Kent County Commissioner Robert S. Womack. However, only Womack stayed and took the microphone to address the public, while LaGrand limited himself to speaking to a few media members and some demonstrators around the crowd before leaving.
'What you have seen is supposed to be a trial. But what it has come down to is a test of our resilience. Does Grand Rapids go back to business as usual? Do the politicians who refuse to help change the policies and laws surrounding police and community relations, do they go back to business as usual? We have to be resilient,' Womack told the crowd.
Womack's speech raised concerns among the audience about the absence of other politicians, with people asking why other commissioners weren't present.
'The only thing they care about is their careers. They do not care about anything else. And if you want to test me, you can say, 'Hey, maybe Commissioner Womack is just saying that.' Okay, then where the hell are they right now?' Womack said.
Before the rally ended, the demonstrators chanted pro-Lyoya slogans and held up their signs. There was little police presence around the rally, and no counter protesters, so the gathering ended without incident.
'To me, this is personal because I'm a Black mother, and these children are, at the end of the day, somebody's children, and they are also members of my community. We're unheard. They [politicians] have everything that they wanted. This is what their decisions made, not ours,' Cage said.
'As long as I have breath in my body, I'm optimistic because I'm going to continue to do what I need to do in order to make sure that I see justice,' she finished.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Demonstrators gathered outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids to rally against the decision not to retry Christopher Schurr. May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
Demonstrators gathered outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids to rally against the decision not to retry Christopher Schurr. May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
Demonstrators gathered outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids to rally against the decision not to retry Christopher Schurr. May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
Demonstrators gathered outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids to rally against the decision not to retry Christopher Schurr. May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
Demonstrators gathered outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids to rally against the decision not to retry Christopher Schurr. May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
Kent County Commissioner Robert S. Womack speaks to the press outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids on May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
Grand Rapids Mayor LaGrand speaks to the press outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids on May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
Demonstrators gathered outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids to rally against the decision not to retry Christopher Schurr. May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
Demonstrators gathered outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids to rally against the decision not to retry Christopher Schurr. May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
Ivan Diaz, a Michigan State senate candidate, gives a speech outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids against the decision not to retry Christopher Schurr. May 22, 2025 | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
29-05-2025
- CBS News
Patrick Lyoya's family speaks out after Kent County prosecutor's decision to not pursue retrial
The family of Patrick Lyoya, the 26-year-old immigrant who was shot and killed by a police officer in Grand Rapids three years ago, is speaking out after Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker decided not to pursue a retrial last week. The original trial ended in a hung jury earlier this month. Both parents say they're still left broken after the jury was unable to come to a unanimous decision on former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr's second-degree murder charge, but they say there's still hope for justice with the civil trial that might still be a couple of years away. "My heart was broken because I was in so much pain," said Dorcas Lyoya. Those are the emotions of Patrick Lyoya's mother spoken through the family's interpreter after realizing there won't be a retrial for the former Grand Rapids police officer charged with second-degree murder of her son. "Since the first one, we didn't get the right justice that we were looking for; maybe the second trial, we would find we'll get the justice we're looking for, but this decision really broke me," she said. Grand Rapids police body camera footage from April 2022 sparked protests and opinions about whether the use of deadly force was justified. The jury couldn't agree unanimously, resulting in a mistrial, but Lyoya's father says his son's legacy will forever haunt Schurr. "All the rest of his life, the blood of my son will be hanging on his head. He will walk the rest of his life with the blood of Patrick on his head," Patrick Lyoya said. Attorneys claim that not pursuing a criminal retrial won't have a legal impact on the civil suit. They suggest they might even have an edge now that Schurr no longer qualifies for Fifth Amendment claims. "People can plead the Fifth Amendment because they can say, 'I have the possibility of criminal charges hovering over me, and I don't want to testify.' He can't do that now because the criminal case is done. And so we're going to have an opportunity to depose him and to once again put on the record why it was he felt it was necessary to take an unarmed, not dangerous, not threatening individual's life that day," said attorney Chris Desmond. Desmond says there is a different circumstance to prove under a different standard in the civil case than the one Becker had to reach in the criminal case, so their goal looks different than the case that resulted in a hung jury. After everything we just learned and everything that was shared in the criminal case, attorneys say the civil case is essentially starting from scratch. The civil case will start with a Rule 16 scheduling conference on June 17. Attorneys estimate the start of a civil trial is at least two years away.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Yahoo
Patrick Lyoya family to speak after decision not to retry Christopher Schurr
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The family of Patrick Lyoya is hosting a press conference Thursday morning after a prosecutor decided not to retry the former Grand Rapids police officer who shot and killed their son in 2022. Lyoya's parents will be joined by civil rights attorneys Ven Johnson and Ben Crump at the 9 a.m. press conference. They'll be addressing Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker's decision to not retry Christopher Schurr. The attorneys are also expected to outline the next steps in the family's civil lawsuit again Schurr. Will Michigan AG retry Christopher Schurr in death of Patrick Lyoya? Schurr shot and killed Lyoya during a traffic stop on April 4, 2022. He was charged with second degree murder, but a mistrial was declared on May 8 after the jury was unable to make a unanimous decision on whether to convict or acquit him of second degree murder or, as a second option, manslaughter. The 12-member jury included nine women and three men; Ten were white, one was Hispanic and one was Black. The mistrial followed five and a half days of testimony and 21 hours of jury deliberations. On May 22, Becker announced he would not retry Schurr. Schurr juror: One holdout kept former officer from being acquitted 'I did not arrive at (the decision) lightly,' Becker said at the time. '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.' Lyoya's family has filed a civil wrongful death suit against Schurr. Thursday's press conference will share the latest on that case, 'aimed at securing justice and accountability for Patrick's preventable death,' a media advisory says. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Lyoya family hurt, Schurr relieved by prosecutor's decision not to retry, advocates say
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Kent County commissioner who has stood with the family of Patrick Lyoya since he was shot and killed by a then-Grand Rapids police officer says the family is heartbroken knowing the criminal case is over. '(The Lyoya family is) very hurt, still trying to understand the American justice system. They don't see any excuse for this verdict or for the person who shot their son in the back of the head to be free,' Commissioner Robert Womack said. 'We're going to continue to work them on the healing process.' Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced Thursday that he would not retry Christopher Schurr, whom he had charged with second-degree murder in the April 2022 death of Lyoya, a 26-year-old refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo. After years of appeals, the case went to trial in late April. On May 8, the jury deadlocked. Prosecutor will not retry Christopher Schurr in Patrick Lyoya's death Schurr's attorneys, Matthew Borgula and Mark Dodge, said their client feels relieved and vindicated by Becker's decision. 'But certainly not celebration,' Dodge said. 'As far as the last three years, it's never been anything to celebrate for Mr. Schurr and his family.' 'The prosecutor got this right here, that a retrial wouldn't be good for anybody because at best it would've ended up in another hung jury,' Borgula said. In a Facebook post, the Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge of Michigan commended Becker's choice not to pursue a retrial. 'This decision reflects a recognition of the complex and split-second circumstances law enforcement officers face in the line of duty,' the post read. Schurr juror: One hold-out kept former officer from being acquitted The attorney representing Lyoya's family in a civil wrongful death suit against Schurr said in a statement that the decision not to retry meant the family would never see justice in a criminal court. '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. 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,' attorney Ven Johnson stated. '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.' Womack praised Becker's work on the case and takes the prosecutor at his word that a guilty verdict would be difficult to achieve. 'I think the jury is reflective of the community, that we are split in half when it comes to this situation here in Grand Rapids,' Womack said. Womack added that he remains disappointed the case wasn't retried and wants to continue to fight for police reform in the city of Grand Rapids. Greater Grand Rapids NAACP President Cle Jackson and Urban League of West Michigan President Eric Brown feel differently. 'My initial reaction was anger. I'll be candid. It was anger then it moved to disappointment and devastation. I could not believe this was the decision he came to,' Brown said. They say Lyoya's family and the community deserved another chance. 'It's devastating. It's devastating. We had an opportunity to again to go back, retry and try to get it right. Patrick deserves that,' Jackson said. 'The Lyoya family deserves that opportunity to retry. Just like the ex-officer Schurr had an opportunity to due process.' 'We had the opportunity to get it right, didn't make it, but we had another opportunity to do even better, to try even harder. I think that was justice disserved,' Brown agreed. They argued the leader of Michigan State Police, the Grand Rapids police chief and the Grand Rapids city manager all should have been called to testify as expert witnesses, and questioned why a woman whose husband is a police officer was allowed to remain on the jury. Jackson and Brown say they have reached out to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, urging her to take up the case. Grand Rapids leaders promise 'commitment to police reforms' despite no Schurr retrial Womack said his goal now is to continue to fight for reforms to policing in West Michigan. 'This just gives us more motivation to fight for better police and community relations. That's only going to change with policies, training and laws being changed that will protect our community from incidents like this,' he said. Jackson, the NAACP president, noted the Grand Rapids Police Department did make some changes to policy after Lyoya's death, but said those changes don't have any teeth. 'There's no level of enforcement and oversight embedded in policy,' he said. In statements Thursday, Grand Rapids city leaders said they are committed to ongoing dialogue and reforms. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
