GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan Court of Appeals will review the decisions of two judges regarding the murder charges of a former Grand Rapids police officer prior to his trial.
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On September 6, a panel of judges will hear the appeal brought by lawyers for Christopher Schurr, but it is unclear when they will make a decision on whether the charges are warranted or if the case will move to trial.
Schurr faces second-degree murder charges for killing 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya after a traffic stop in April 2022. Body camera footage shows Lyoya resisting arrest after Schurr pulled him over after he saw the vehicle and license plates did not match. Later, toxicology results revealed Lyoya’s blood alcohol was three-times the legal limit. Schurr has maintained he feared for his life when Lyoya reached for his taser.
Schurr’s murder trial in Kent County was originally scheduled for October, but that has been paused pending the Court of Appeals decision.
Ven Johnson, who represents the family of Patrick Lyoya in a civil lawsuit against the City of Grand Rapids and former GRPD offering Christopher Schurr, shared this statement in July:
“The Lyoya family, is again, highly disappointed by yet another adjournment/postponement of the October 2023 trial date of former officer Schurr, who remains out on bond living his life while Patrick remains in his grave.”
The Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association and the Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge of Michigan have not waivered in their support of Schurr.
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