Latest news with #WZZM
28-04-2025
Trial begins for ex-Grand Rapids officer charged with murder in fatal shooting of Black motorist
Opening arguments in the trial of Christopher Schurr, the former Grand Rapids police officer who is charged with second degree murder in the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, began in a Michigan courtroom on Monday morning. The trial began three years after the Black motorist's death. A jury was sworn in on Wednesday, with jurors and alternates consisting of four men and 10 women, with 10 white jurors, one Black and three Hispanic, according to ABC affiliate in Grand Rapids, WZZM. Schurr was charged with second-degree murder in June 2022 and his appeal was denied by the Michigan Supreme Court in December 2024. He has pleaded not guilty. Schurr was charged with second-degree murder in June 2022 and pleaded not guilty. Schurr fought the charge in court, arguing that he should not have to stand trial because he was acting within his rights as a police officer. His final appeal was denied by the Michigan Supreme Court in December 2024. Video appears to show Lyoya, a 26-year-old immigrant who came to the U.S. to escape violence in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo, being shot in the head by Schurr after the officer pulled him over for an unregistered license plate on April 4, 2022. Body camera video, which was released nine days after the shooting, showed Schurr pulling Lyoya over for a license plate violation. When Lyoya began walking away from Schurr, the video shows the officer shouting at Lyoya to "get back in the car.' Then a struggle ensued between the two men during which the video appears to show Lyoya reaching for Schurr's stun gun. The body camera was deactivated during the struggle, according to police, and does not show the moment Shurr shot Lyoya. But the fatal shot is seen on cell phone video captured by the passenger of the vehicle. The video appears to show Schurr telling Lyoya to let go of the stun gun several times, and while Lyoya is on the ground with his face down and Schurr on top of him, the officer appears to shoot Lyoya in the back of his head. The Kent County medical examiner confirmed Lyoya died from a gunshot to the back of his head. Schurr was fired on June 15, 2022 amid an investigation into the incident. After the charges were filed, Schurr's attorneys told WZZM on June 10, 2022 that Lyoya's death was "not murder but an unfortunate tragedy, resulting from a highly volatile situation." "Mr. Lyoya continually refused to obey lawful commands and ultimately disarmed a police officer," they wrote in a statement. "Mr. Lyoya gained full control of a police officer's weapon while resisting arrest, placing Officer Schurr in fear of great bodily harm or death." Patrick Lyoya's family files lawsuit against police officer who fatally shot him Lyoya's family filed a $100 million civil lawsuit against Schurr and the city of Grand Rapids in December 2022. Schurr denied wrongdoing in a response to the complaint, and in August 2023 a federal judge dismissed Grand Rapids from the lawsuit. ABC News reached out to Shurr's attorneys and the family of Lyoya ahead of the trial for further comment. Before the trial, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Schurr's legal team's request to hear an appeal in the lawsuit filed by Lyoya's family against the former officer. Schurr's defense team asked the court to decide whether the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals was wrong in determining it could not consider qualified immunity for Schurr at the time of the killing, WZZM reported.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
Trial begins for ex-Grand Rapids officer charged with murder in fatal shooting of Black motorist
Opening arguments in the trial of Christopher Schurr, the former Grand Rapids police officer who is charged with second degree murder in the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, began in a Michigan courtroom on Monday morning. The trial began three years after the Black motorist's death. A jury was sworn in on Wednesday, with jurors and alternates consisting of four men and 10 women, with 10 white jurors, one Black and three Hispanic, according to ABC affiliate in Grand Rapids, WZZM. Schurr was charged with second-degree murder in June 2022 and his appeal was denied by the Michigan Supreme Court in December 2024. He has pleaded not guilty. Schurr was charged with second-degree murder in June 2022 and pleaded not guilty. Schurr fought the charge in court, arguing that he should not have to stand trial because he was acting within his rights as a police officer. His final appeal was denied by the Michigan Supreme Court in December 2024. Video appears to show Lyoya, a 26-year-old immigrant who came to the U.S. to escape violence in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo, being shot in the head by Schurr after the officer pulled him over for an unregistered license plate on April 4, 2022. Michigan police officer charged with murder in killing of Patrick Lyoya Body camera video, which was released nine days after the shooting, showed Schurr pulling Lyoya over for a license plate violation. When Lyoya began walking away from Schurr, the video shows the officer shouting at Lyoya to "get back in the car.' Then a struggle ensued between the two men during which the video appears to show Lyoya reaching for Schurr's stun gun. The body camera was deactivated during the struggle, according to police, and does not show the moment Shurr shot Lyoya. But the fatal shot is seen on cell phone video captured by the passenger of the vehicle. The video appears to show Schurr telling Lyoya to let go of the stun gun several times, and while Lyoya is on the ground with his face down and Schurr on top of him, the officer appears to shoot Lyoya in the back of his head. The Kent County medical examiner confirmed Lyoya died from a gunshot to the back of his head. Schurr was fired on June 15, 2022 amid an investigation into the incident. After the charges were filed, Schurr's attorneys told WZZM on June 10, 2022 that Lyoya's death was "not murder but an unfortunate tragedy, resulting from a highly volatile situation." "Mr. Lyoya continually refused to obey lawful commands and ultimately disarmed a police officer," they wrote in a statement. "Mr. Lyoya gained full control of a police officer's weapon while resisting arrest, placing Officer Schurr in fear of great bodily harm or death." Patrick Lyoya's family files lawsuit against police officer who fatally shot him Lyoya's family filed a $100 million civil lawsuit against Schurr and the city of Grand Rapids in December 2022. Schurr denied wrongdoing in a response to the complaint, and in August 2023 a federal judge dismissed Grand Rapids from the lawsuit. ABC News reached out to Shurr's attorneys and the family of Lyoya ahead of the trial for further comment. Before the trial, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Schurr's legal team's request to hear an appeal in the lawsuit filed by Lyoya's family against the former officer. Schurr's defense team asked the court to decide whether the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals was wrong in determining it could not consider qualified immunity for Schurr at the time of the killing, WZZM reported. Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that protects government officials and police officers from being found individually liable in civil lawsuits. Trial begins for ex-Grand Rapids officer charged with murder in fatal shooting of Black motorist originally appeared on
NBC News
08-04-2025
- NBC News
Michigan woman, 74, found alive in woods days after car caught fire while heading home
A 74-year-old Michigan woman reported missing last week was found alive Sunday in a wooded area after surviving days of freezing temperatures that left her unable to seek help. Authorities investigating a burned vehicle on a private road in Grant Township, Michigan, Sunday afternoon called police after recognizing it as matching the description of one linked to a woman missing from the city of Norton Shores, authorities said. Authorities launched an aerial search using a drone and soon located the missing woman, identified by the Norton Shores Police Department as local resident Nancy Bloomquist, about 150 yards from the SUV. She was last seen at the Little River Casino, about 95 miles north of Norton Shores, on Thursday a few hours before nightfall, the department said in a statement. Police believe she was driving home in her 2024 GMC Terrain when she became lost on a private road and her vehicle became disabled. Overnight Thursday into Friday, the area was hit with rain and freezing temperatures. In the stretch between Thursday and Sunday, a front produced rain and light snow, and temperatures dipped below 22 degrees, according to National Weather Service data. The Mason County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook that Bloomquist fled the vehicle after it erupted in flames, but tried to return because she left her phone inside. Mason County Sheriff Kim C. Cole told TV station WZZM the SUV may have ignited after its engine was exhausted in an effort to gain traction off-road in weather he described as life-threatening. Cole did not immediately respond to a request for more information. Bloomquist gor lost while trying to return to her car and, amid the rain and debilitating cold, her body locked up, the sheriff's office said. She sought shelter next to a downed tree, where she apparently stayed for three days until she was discovered by a search team Sunday after being spotted by a drone, the Mason County Sheriff's Office said its statement. The office said Bloomquist was conscious and spoke to arriving deputies. She was taken to a hospital and treated for exposure, WZZM reported. Norton Shores is located on the eastern coast of Lake Michigan. It is about 38 miles northwest of Grand Rapids.
