Former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr shot resident Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head following a struggle during a traffic stop in April 2022. Two months later, the Kent County prosecutor charged Schurr with second degree murder, an unprecedented charge against a Grand Rapids officer. The city fired Schurr the following week.
For years, Schurr’s lawyers have been trying to get the second degree murder charge thrown out. But judges have repeatedly said the case should go to a jury. Second-degree murder charges are a felony offense, punishable up to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Schurr’s attorney has said the shooting was justified because Schurr was met with force during a lawful arrest.
But for Grand Rapidians it’s one of a pattern of instances of violence and bias against Black people and children in the city.
Three years after Lyoya’s death, the criminal case is heading to trial. Here's where to find what’s important to know about this case and the latest updates from our newsroom as it works its way through trial.
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Former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head following a struggle during a traffic stop in 2022. Schurr’s lawyers have been trying for years to get the second-degree murder charge thrown out. But judges have repeatedly said the case should go to a jury. -
Three years ago, Patrick Lyoya was shot and killed by former Grand Rapids Police Department officer Christopher Schurr. -
Lyoya’s killing shocked community members who had been arguing for years that GRPD officers routinely used force against minority suspects when it wasn’t necessary. -
A judge is expected to issue a decision Monday on whether former GRPD officer Christopher Schurr will face trial on second-degree murder charges for shooting Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head. -
GRPD officer Christopher Schurr is charged with second-degree murder for shooting Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head in April. -
26-year-old Patrick Lyoya was killed by Grand Rapids Officer Christopher Schurr on April 4 after a traffic stop and a struggle.
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Video of Lyoya's death has reignited protests over racial injustice. For those who knew him, he's remembered as a son, brother and father — a person of faith whose life was inextricably shaped by war.
