GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A former Grand Rapids police officer will stand trial for murder in the death of a motorist after a judge said there are questions to be decided by a jury.
Christopher Schurr faces second-degree murder charges in the death of 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya on April 4.
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Last week, the court heard from a variety of witnesses during a two-day preliminary hearing, including taser experts, Grand Rapids Police Department officers, people who live near where the shooting took place, and the passenger in Lyoya’s car.
Body camera footage shows Schurr pulling over Lyoya on April 4. Schurr said Lyoya’s vehicle and license plates did not match. Lyoya resisted arrest and wrestled with Schurr, who said he feared for his life when Lyoya reached for his taser. Toxicology results revealed Lyoya’s blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit at the time of the incident.
No one disputes that Schurr killed Lyoya. However, the jury must decide is whether it constituted murder.
