A Michigan police officer who shot a Black man in the back of the head during a chaotic traffic stop will not be tried again, a prosecutor announced Thursday. This comes two weeks after the first trial ended without all jurors agreeing on a verdict.
Prosecutor Chris Becker said he believes a second trial would likely end the same way.
“I just don’t see a place where we get 12 people to agree. This has split the community,” Becker told reporters in Kent County, about 160 miles from Detroit. “I’ve heard over the last two weeks people passionately on both sides calling me, emailing me, advocating for and against a retrial. That didn’t play a role.”
Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old immigrant from Congo, was killed in April 2022 outside a home in Grand Rapids. His death was captured on video and shown multiple times during the trial. Civil rights groups and his family are expected to be upset by the prosecutor’s decision.
Christopher Schurr, 34, was a Grand Rapids officer at the time. He said he acted in self-defense because Lyoya had control of his Taser. Schurr was charged with second-degree murder, and the jury could also have chosen manslaughter as a lesser option.
Schurr’s lawyer, Matt Borgula, said a second trial would likely have ended in the same way or with Schurr being found not guilty.
“I think everybody agrees that the death of Patrick Lyoya was a tragedy,” Borgula said. “The evidence showed, at least to this jury, that Officer Schurr’s actions were justified.”
The confrontation began when Schurr stopped a car with the wrong license plate. Lyoya got out, didn’t show a driver’s license, and ran. Schurr chased him, and after a struggle lasting over two minutes, shot Lyoya in the back of the head while on top of him.
The video showed Schurr yelling at Lyoya to drop the Taser and stop resisting. Defense experts said Schurr had the right to use deadly force because he was tired and at risk of serious harm. Prosecutors’ experts said he could have let Lyoya run away.
Christopher Schurr in the courtThe Lyoya family’s lawyer, Ven Johnson, said the chance to hold Schurr accountable in a second trial is now gone. A lawsuit claiming excessive force is still ongoing.
“This is not a verdict nor the outcome the Lyoya family sought,” Johnson said.
Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand didn’t say whether he agreed with the prosecutor’s decision. But he said ending the case would cause “immense pain” for the family.
“Many in Grand Rapids will feel a deep sense of frustration and a belief that justice remains unfulfilled. These feelings are valid and must be acknowledged,” the mayor said in a written statement.
It’s still unclear why Lyoya ran from the traffic stop. Records show his license had been revoked and there was an arrest warrant for him in a domestic violence case, though Schurr didn’t know that at the time. An autopsy showed Lyoya’s blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit for driving.