News Summary
Former police officer Christopher Schurr has filed a motion in Kent County Circuit Court to remove records from his murder case regarding the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya. The motion will be heard in August 2025. Meanwhile, the Lyoya family has filed a civil lawsuit seeking $100 million in damages. Schurr charged with second-degree murder, contends the shooting was justified during an altercation. The decision not to retrial has sparked community outcry for police accountability in a case drawing national attention.
Grand Rapids – Former police officer Christopher Schurr has filed a motion in Kent County Circuit Court seeking to have records related to his murder case removed from law enforcement databases. This motion was submitted by his legal team earlier this week and is set to be heard on August 22, 2025, before Judge Christina Mims.
Schurr is charged with second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese immigrant. The incident took place on April 4, 2022, during a traffic stop initiated by Schurr, who pulled over Lyoya for a license plate discrepancy. During the stop, an altercation ensued, during which Lyoya attempted to escape while allegedly intoxicated. Schurr attempted to deploy his Taser, which ultimately led to a struggle that ended with Schurr shooting Lyoya in the back of the head while he was on the ground.
After six days of trial and four days of jury deliberation, a mistrial was declared due to the jury’s inability to reach a unanimous verdict, with indications that most jurors leaned toward acquitting Schurr. Following this mistrial, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced he would not pursue a retrial, citing insufficient grounds for a different outcome. The Michigan Attorney General’s office also decided against seeking a new trial against Schurr.
Schurr’s defense team, comprising Matthew Borgula, Mark Dodge, and Mikayla Hamilton, has maintained that the shooting was justified, contending that Schurr perceived a threat from Lyoya during the incident. Becker has since indicated that he has no basis to challenge Schurr’s motion for the removal of his arrest records, fingerprints, and biometric data from the Michigan State Police’s Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT) and the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN).
In conjunction with the criminal case, the family of Patrick Lyoya has filed a civil lawsuit against Schurr, which seeks $100 million in damages. Although the claims against the city of Grand Rapids have been dismissed, the case against Schurr remains active, and a scheduling conference is set to take place on June 17, 2025. The Lyoya family has expressed their disappointment with the decision not to retry Schurr, articulating a sense of injustice following the mistrial and prosecutor’s conclusions.
Lyoya’s death, resulting from the confrontation with law enforcement, has sparked public outcry and led to widespread protests advocating for police accountability and changes to policing practices, particularly concerning racial justice. The events surrounding the traffic stop and the subsequent response have drawn national attention and highlighted ongoing debates around law enforcement accountability and the treatment of minority communities.
As the legal proceedings continue, both the motion to remove Schurr’s records and the ongoing civil lawsuit will draw further scrutiny and attention from the community and beyond.
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Additional Resources
- MLive: Christopher Schurr Wants Records Destroyed
- Wikipedia: Murder in the United States
- Michigan Advance: Jury Deadlocked in Trial
- Google Search: Patrick Lyoya murder case
- Detroit Free Press: No Retrial for Christopher Schurr
- Google Scholar: Patrick Lyoya case
- WXYZ: Lyoya Family Files Lawsuit
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Police Accountability
- ABC News: Trial of Grand Rapids Officer
- Google News: Grand Rapids police shooting news
Author: STAFF HERE GRANDRAPIDS WRITER
GRAND RAPIDS STAFF WRITER The GRAND RAPIDS STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HEREGrandRapids.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Grand Rapids, Kent County, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as ArtPrize, Festival of the Arts, and World of Winter. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce and Grand Rapids Community Foundation, plus leading businesses in furniture, healthcare, and technology that power the local economy such as Steelcase, Spectrum Health, and Meijer. As part of the broader HERE network, including HEREDetroitMI.com, HERENorthville.com, HERENovi.com, and HEREPlymouth.com, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into Michigan's dynamic landscape.
