“What it boils down to is: I don’t think we reach a different verdict if I do do a retrial in this case. The jury came back deadlocked.”
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced his decision not to seek a retrial in the case of Christopher Schurr and to drop the second-degree murder charges against the former Grand Rapids police officer accused in the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya after a traffic stop in 2022.
The judge declared a mistrial earlier this month when a jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.
Becker said he arrived at the decision after much consideration, reviewing video from the courtroom, analyzing arguments made by both sides, and considering jury selection as perhaps the biggest factor.
“They paid attention. They asked good questions. They were engaged that entire time, so this was a really good jury from my perspective.”
Ven Johnson, the attorney for Patrick Lyoya’s family released a statement on their behalf.
“The Lyoya family has not only lost Patrick, but now the hope that former officer Christopher Schurr will ever be held criminally accountable for taking Patrick’s life.
With today’s decision, what was once a pause in justice has now become a permanent reality.
This is not a verdict nor the outcome the Lyoya family sought.
We will continue to stand with the Lyoya family in their pursuit of truth, accountability and justice for Patrick, and are awaiting our day in civil court.”
