The Patrick Lyoya case began with a Grand Rapids, Michigan, traffic stop on April 4, 2022, and ended its criminal chapter three years later when a jury deadlocked and prosecutors declined to try the officer again. Officer Christopher Schurr shot the 26-year-old Congolese refugee once in the back of the head while Lyoya was face-down on a residential lawn. Schurr was charged with second-degree murder. His 2025 trial ended in a mistrial with jurors split 10-2 in favor of acquittal, and Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced on May 22, 2025, that he would not seek a retrial. A federal wrongful-death lawsuit against Schurr is scheduled for trial in October 2026.
What Happened on April 4, 2022
Schurr pulled Lyoya over on a residential street in Grand Rapids because the license plate on the vehicle did not match the car. He asked Lyoya for a license or identification. Lyoya walked away from the vehicle and then began to run. Schurr chased him, and the two ended up in a physical struggle on a front lawn.
During the struggle, Schurr deployed his Taser twice; neither discharge struck Lyoya. Schurr shouted “Let go of the Taser” and “Drop the Taser.”1CNN. Grand Rapids Police Video Patrick Lyoya Schurr’s body camera then deactivated 42 seconds before the fatal shot. Police Chief Eric Winstrom said body pressure likely held down the camera’s power button for more than three seconds during the struggle.2PBS NewsHour. Officer’s Body Camera Went Dark During Key Moment of Patrick Lyoya’s Death
What the body camera missed, other cameras caught. The patrol car dashboard camera, a bystander’s cell phone, and a neighbor’s doorbell camera together captured the end of the struggle. Lyoya was face-down on the ground with Schurr on top of him. Schurr drew his service weapon and fired a single shot into the back of Lyoya’s head.3CBS News Detroit. Mistrial Christopher Schurr Patrick Lyoya Grand Rapids police released the four videos on April 13, 2022, nine days after the shooting.4ABC News. Body Camera Footage Shows Fatal Police Shooting of Patrick Lyoya
Who Patrick Lyoya Was
Lyoya was born February 6, 1996, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the eldest of Peter and Dorcas Lyoya’s six children.5CapRadio. Patrick Lyoya Story The family fled political violence and spent years in a refugee camp, including time in Malawi, before arriving in the United States in 2014 when Patrick was 18.6BlackPast. Patrick Lyoya (1996-2022) They settled first in Lansing and later moved to Grand Rapids. He worked at an auto parts plant, a turkey farm, and an appliance store, and had two young daughters.
Autopsy Findings
Two autopsies reached the same conclusion. Kent County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cohle conducted the official examination and ruled the manner of death a homicide, noting that “homicide” in a medical context means the officer intended to shoot, and that whether the shooting was legally justified was for prosecutors to decide.7CNN. Patrick Lyoya Autopsy Results Dr. Werner Spitz, a forensic pathologist hired by the family, performed an independent autopsy and stated that Lyoya “was conscious and aware of the fact that a gun was being held to the back of his head” and that “death was instantaneous when the gun fired.”8NBC News. Independent Autopsy Confirms Patrick Lyoya Was Shot in Back of Head
Toxicology results showed Lyoya’s blood alcohol level was 0.29, more than three times Michigan’s legal driving limit of 0.08, with no other drugs in his system.9MLive. Patrick Lyoya’s Autopsy Report by Medical Examiner Confirms Cause of Death
The Murder Charge and Firing
The Michigan State Police handled the criminal investigation, as is standard when a Michigan officer is involved in a fatal incident. On June 9, 2022, Prosecutor Chris Becker charged Schurr with one count of second-degree murder.10MLive. Patrick Lyoya Six days later, City Manager Mark Washington accepted the police chief’s recommendation and fired Schurr, a seven-year veteran of the department.11KATU. Department Fires Police Officer Charged in Fatal Shooting of Patrick Lyoya
The Trial and Mistrial
Schurr’s trial began in late April 2025 in Kent County Circuit Court before Judge Christina Mims.12New York Times. Michigan Christopher Schurr Murder Mistrial The jury was permitted to consider the lesser charge of manslaughter as well.13Bridge Michigan. Ex-Officer Who Killed Patrick Lyoya Won’t Face Second Trial Video from the multiple cameras was played repeatedly and formed the central evidence for both sides.
Schurr took the stand. He testified that he feared for his life because Lyoya had seized control of his Taser. “I believed that if I hadn’t done it at that time, I wasn’t going to go home,” he told the jury.14BBC. Christopher Schurr Trial Mistrial
The two sides put on competing use-of-force analyses. Bryan Chiles, a forensic analysis lead at Axon (the Taser manufacturer), testified for the defense that the Taser remained a “serious weapon” even after both cartridges had been deployed because it could still deliver a painful drive-stun, and that an officer incapacitated by the probes could lose control of his firearm.15Michigan Public. Taser Expert: Then-Officer Schurr Faced Danger in Struggle Before Shooting Patrick Lyoya
Seth Stoughton, a University of South Carolina law professor and former police officer, testified for the prosecution that “no reasonable officer acting on general police practices would have shot Lyoya.” He characterized the drive-stun as non-incapacitating, noted that Schurr held a tactical advantage on top of a man facing away from him, and testified that there is no known case in American or international policing where an officer has been tased, incapacitated, had their weapon taken, and killed with it.15Michigan Public. Taser Expert: Then-Officer Schurr Faced Danger in Struggle Before Shooting Patrick Lyoya Prosecutors also argued that Schurr had another option: letting Lyoya flee.13Bridge Michigan. Ex-Officer Who Killed Patrick Lyoya Won’t Face Second Trial
The jury began deliberating on May 5, 2025. Becker later said the initial split was four for guilty, four for not guilty, and four undecided.16Court TV. Prosecutors Will Not Retry Christopher Schurr for Death of Patrick Lyoya After nearly four days, jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict. Judge Mims declared a mistrial on May 8, 2025, with the final split 10-2 in favor of acquittal.12New York Times. Michigan Christopher Schurr Murder Mistrial
No Retrial and No State Takeover
On May 22, 2025, Becker announced he would not seek a second trial. “I’ll cut right to the chase: I have made the decision not to seek a retrial in the case of Christopher Schurr,” he said. He described the first trial as “as clean as I could have expected,” said he had presented everything he had, and told reporters, “I just don’t see a place where we get 12 people to agree.”17WOOD TV. Prosecutor to Announce Decision on Retrial in Schurr Case
The Michigan Attorney General’s office confirmed on May 30, 2025, that it would not step in. A spokesperson said the office “does not operate as an appellate prosecuting authority over cases tried at the local level” and would respect the local prosecutor’s decision.18FOX 17 Online. Michigan Attorney General Will Not Take Up Christopher Schurr Case Ven Johnson, the attorney representing the Lyoya family, said in a statement that “what was once a pause in justice has now become a permanent reality.”19Michigan Advance. Kent County Prosecutor Declines to Retry Former Grand Rapids Police Officer in Motorist’s Death
With the criminal case dismissed, Schurr’s defense moved to destroy his arrest records, fingerprints, and biometric data. Michigan law (MCL 764.26a) requires such records to be expunged when charges are dismissed before trial, and Becker’s office said it had no legal basis to object.20WOOD TV. Motion Seeks to Destroy Former GRPD Officer’s Arrest Records After Murder Mistrial Judge Mims signed the order on August 4, 2025.21WZZM 13. Christopher Schurr Trial Records Destroyed
The Federal Civil Lawsuit
The Lyoya family filed a $100 million wrongful-death and civil rights lawsuit in federal court in December 2022, naming Schurr and the City of Grand Rapids. The complaint alleged that Schurr used “unnecessary illegal excessive force” in violation of Patrick Lyoya’s Fourth Amendment rights.22ABC News. Family Sue Police Officer Who Killed Patrick Lyoya
Federal Judge Paul Maloney dismissed the claims against the city in 2023, ruling that the plaintiffs had not established a direct connection between city policies and Schurr’s specific actions. The suit against Schurr personally continued. He sought dismissal on qualified immunity grounds, but the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denied that request. On April 21, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal (Docket No. 24-886), sending the case back to the Western District of Michigan.23Michigan Public. U.S. Supreme Court Considers Taking Up Civil Case Against Former GRPD Officer
A settlement conference is set for September 2, 2026. The civil trial is scheduled to begin October 19, 2026, before Judge Maloney in Kalamazoo, and is expected to last three weeks.24MLive. Civil Trial for Ex-Police Officer Christopher Schurr Set for October 2026