It has been more than two years since the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya by a Grand Rapids police officer named Christopher Schurr. He's been charged with second-degree murder. However, the former officer still hasn't faced trial.
Earlier this month, the Michigan Supreme Court denied Schurr's appeal of the charges against him. That clears the way for a trial.
Schurr killed Lyoya on April 4, 2022, after a traffic stop and a physical struggle. Schurr says Lyoya tried to get control of his taser. Video of the shooting shows Lyoya was on the ground when Schurr shot him in the back of the head.
“A lot of the officer-involved shootings that we see, the reason they don't get charged is because the person is somehow threatening the officer or pointing a weapon or pointing what appears to be a weapon at an officer,” said Dustin Dwyer, West Michigan reporter for Michigan Public. That might be different in this case, in which prosecutors say self defense was not a valid reason for Schurr's shooting of Lyoya. "The question in a murder charge is whether he was justified in doing so," Dwyer said.
Hear the full conversation on the Stateside podcast.
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GUESTS ON TODAY’S SHOW:
- Dustin Dwyer, reporter at Michigan Public
