Federal Judge Paul Maloney denied former Grand Rapids Police Officer Chirstopher Schurr’s motion for a summary judgement ruling a jury can decide if Schurr violated 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya’s rights when he shot him in the back of the head during a traffic stop in April 2022.
Schurr was charged with second-degree murder of the Congolese immigrant, but a deadlocked jury led to a judge ordering a mistrial in May of last year. Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker declined to retry Schurr, ending the criminal case against him.
In May, Schurr’s attorneys argued he is entitled to immunity under federal and state law because he feared for his life, but Maloney stated, “From the video footage in the record, a rational jury could conclude that Schurr shot an unarmed man who showed no signs of violence in the back of the head after physically subduing him.”
Attorney Ven Johnson, representing the Lyoya family, stated, “The civil case now heads to trial, where a jury will hear the evidence and decide the facts. While we expect Mr. Schurr to appeal today’s decision, the Lyoya family remains committed to seeing this case through and having a jury ultimately decide the facts.”
The suit is scheduled for trial in Kalamazoo starting October 19th.
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