After a federal judge recently dismissed the City of Grand Rapids from a multi-million-dollar lawsuit filed by the family of Congolese Immigrant Patrick Lyoya, demonstrators gathered downtown Thursday evening in protest.
In April of 2022, Patrick Lyoya was shot and killed by former Grand Rapids Police Officer Christopher Schurr during a traffic stop.
Schurr’s legal defense argues-- the use of lethal force was justified-- as Lyoya had gained control of the officer’s taser while resisting arrest---and a taser is legally considered to be a deadly weapon. Schurr had merely conducted himself in accordance with his training prior to becoming a police officer.
Lyoya family attorney Ben Crump on Thursday told demonstrators-- if that is the case--the City of Grand Rapids therefore should be held accountable for Schurr’s actions.
“If you going to believe ‘I had to kill him because I was in fear of my life,’ then you have to believe him when he says, I was following my training," Crump said. "You can’t have it both ways.”
Meanwhile, the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Schurr with 2nd Degree Murder.
