Trial decision expected in case of Michigan police officer who killed Black man in 2022

DETROIT — A prosecutor said he will announce Thursday whether to hold a second trial for a Michigan police officer who fatally shot a Black man in the back of the head after a tumultuous traffic stop.

Christopher Schurr’s trial on a second-degree murder charge ended May 7 when the jury said it could not reach a unanimous verdict.

Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker scheduled an 11:30 a.m. EDT news conference in Grand Rapids, 160 miles (260 kilometers) west of Detroit, to announce the next step.

Schurr, 34, who was a Grand Rapids officer, said he feared for his life and shot Patrick Lyoya because the 26-year-old Congolese immigrant had control of his Taser.

Lyoya’s death in April 2022 was the climax of a fierce struggle that lasted more than two minutes. Schurr stopped a car for having the wrong license plate. Lyoya stepped out of the car, didn’t produce a driver’s license and began running.

Schurr was on top of Lyoya on the ground when he shot him in the back of the head. The entire confrontation was recorded on video and repeatedly played for the jury.

At trial, defense experts said the decision to use deadly force was justified because the exhausted officer could have been seriously injured if Lyoya had used the Taser. The prosecutor’s experts, however, said Schurr had other choices, including simply letting Lyoya run.

It’s not known why Lyoya was trying to flee. Records show his driver’s license was revoked at the time and there was an arrest warrant for him in a domestic violence case, though Schurr didn’t know it. An autopsy revealed his blood-alcohol level was three times above the legal limit for driving.