Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Patrick Lyoya
Age : 26
Gender : Male
Race : Black
Date : 04/04/2022
Location : Nelson Avenue SE near Griggs Street SE
City : Grand Rapids
County : Kent
State : Michigan
Agency : Grand Rapids Police Department
Officer(s) :Christopher Schurr
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Killed by police during traffic stop
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 04/04/2022, Grand Rapids Police Department Officer Christopher Schurr stopped 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya on Nelson Avenue SE near Griggs Street SE after determining that the license plate displayed on Lyoya's vehicle did not match the vehicle. Lyoya got out of the vehicle, and Schurr ordered him to get back inside and asked for his driver's license. Lyoya subsequently ran from Schurr, who chased him on foot and tackled him.
Schurr and Lyoya struggled on the ground. Schurr deployed his Taser, but its probes did not incapacitate Lyoya. During the continuing struggle, both men fought over control of the Taser. Video from Schurr's body camera, his patrol vehicle, a nearby surveillance camera and a cellphone held by Lyoya's passenger documented different portions of the encounter.
The struggle ended with Lyoya facedown on the ground and Schurr positioned on top of him. Schurr drew his handgun, placed it against the back of Lyoya's head and fired one round. Lyoya died at the scene. He was unarmed. An autopsy determined that he died from a gunshot wound to the back of his head.
Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker charged Schurr with second-degree murder in June 2022. The Grand Rapids Police Department fired Schurr after the criminal charge was filed. Schurr's murder trial began in April 2025. After four days of deliberations, jurors reported that they could not reach a unanimous verdict, and the judge declared a mistrial on 05/08/2025. The Kent County prosecutor subsequently decided not to retry Schurr and dismissed the criminal charge.
Lyoya's estate separately filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against Schurr, alleging that he used excessive and unreasonable deadly force in violation of Lyoya's Fourth Amendment rights. Schurr sought dismissal based on qualified immunity. The federal district court refused to dismiss the claim, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals later dismissed Schurr's interlocutory appeal, concluding that factual disputes prevented it from resolving the qualified-immunity issue at that stage. The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently declined to hear Schurr's appeal.
In August 2026, U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney again rejected Schurr's effort to dispose of the civil case before trial. The judge determined that a jury could find Schurr's use of deadly force unreasonable based on evidence that Lyoya was unarmed, was underneath Schurr and may not have posed an immediate threat when Schurr fired. Schurr maintains that Lyoya had control of the Taser and that he fired because he feared it could be used against him. The judge found that the video evidence did not conclusively establish Schurr's version and ruled that the disputed facts must be decided by a jury.
The civil case is scheduled for jury trial in October 2026.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/grand-rapids-police-expected-release-dashcam-fatal-police-shooting-pat-rcna23946
https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2022/04/father-of-man-killed-in-grand-rapids-police-shooting-calls-for-accountability-community-peace.html
https://apnews.com/article/michigan-grand-rapids-police-shootings-0ee21e134d0c0fdb81da1590b41fb454
https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids-police-officer-involved-in-shooting
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/us/patrick-lyoya-grand-rapids-shooting-charging-decision.html
https://www.fourstateshomepage.com/news/national/a-look-at-high-profile-killings-by-us-police/
https://www.wyomingnewsnow.tv/2022/06/10/michigan-officer-charged-lyoya-shooting-set-hearing/
https://time.com/6186697/patrick-lyoya-police-murder-charge-stats/
https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/investigations/lyoya-family-claim-excessive-force-gross-negligence-in-civil-lawsuit-against-ex-officer-city-of-grand-rapids/69-a884c396-055b-47f0-8e47-ca3e9e894c74
https://www.fox17online.com/news/patrick-lyoyas-death/a-pause-in-justice-now-a-permanent-reality-says-lyoya-family-attorney
https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/judge-wont-throw-out-civil-lawsuit-against-former-officer-in-patrick-lyoyas-death/
https://apnews.com/article/63c94f9025b2244618c035576cec4b80
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca6/23-1887/23-1887-2024-09-09.html
