According to Grand Rapids officials on Wednesday, the Michigan police officer charged with second-degree murder in the April shooting death of Patrick Lyoya has been fired.
Christopher Schurr, a seven-year veteran of the Grand Rapids Police Department, was sacked on Friday, after a recommendation from the police chief and labor relations office, according to city manager Mark Washington.
“Due to the ongoing criminal matter and the potential for civil litigation, I will not be providing any additional comment concerning Mr. Schurr at this time,” Washington said. Schurr’s termination, which became effective on June 10, came one day after Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker charged him with second-degree murder in Lyoya’s death.
Schurr had been placed on administrative leave following the shooting. According to an attorney for Lyoya’s family, the termination of his job was long overdue.
“It’s about time! The City of Grand Rapids should have fired Christopher Schurr on the day of the shooting, but instead, paid him for two months and waited for the Kent County prosecutor to make the decision for them,” attorney Ven Johnson said in a statement Thursday. “Any police officer who uses excessive, unnecessary, and illegal deadly force should always be terminated immediately. This is something that the Lyoya family has requested since the day of the shooting.”
Patrick Lyoya, a Black Congolese refugee, was shot in the back of the head by Schurr, who’s white, after a traffic stop on April 4. According to authorities, Schurr noticed the license plate did not match the vehicle. Schurr was seen on police body camera footage asking Lyoya, 26, for his driver’s license.
That’s when things started to get physical. Lyoya tried to flee, but Schurr stopped him and forced the struggle to the ground. Authorities said Schurr tried to shock Lyoya with a stun gun, but he grabbed it.
According to Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom, the pair fought over the stun gun for about 90 seconds, during which time the device was deployed twice without making contact.
The officer’s body camera footage had stopped working at this point, according to police. Schurr was captured on cell phone video by a passenger in Lyoya’s car saying “Let go of the Taser” before reaching for his gun and shooting Lyoya in the back of the head while on top of him.
The Grand Rapids Police Officers Association, the city’s police officers’ union, supports Schurr, claiming that officers have the legal right to defend themselves.
Schurr’s attorney declined to comment on the dismissal.
