Killing of Patrick Lyoya
Second-degree murder[1] |
On April 4, 2022, Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old resident of Grand Rapids, was fatally shot by Officer Christopher Schurr of the Grand Rapids Police Department during a scuffle between the two in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. After Lyoya began to flee the scene, Schurr attempted to detain him, unsuccessfully fired a taser at Lyoya, and then Lyoya attempted to disarm Officer Schurr of the weapon. Ultimately, Lyoya was successful in disarming Officer Schurr. Officer Schurr then discharged one round from his firearm.
As news of the shooting and videos of the incident were released, public protests occurred to denounce the officer's actions, to demand the reform of the GRPD, and for the
Parties involved
Patrick Lyoya
Patrick Lyoya was a refugee from the
Christopher Schurr
The officer identified as shooting Lyoya is Christopher Schurr, who received a
Grand Rapids Police Department
According to
Following the incident, The New York Times reported:[19]
Mr. Lyoya’s death was the latest in a series of incidents that have strained relations between residents and the Grand Rapids police. In 2017, officers searching for a middle-aged woman wanted for a stabbing instead handcuffed an 11-year-old girl at gunpoint while she was leaving a house. Those officers were not disciplined. Months prior, other Grand Rapids officers held five innocent teenagers at gunpoint. And in 2020, local outlets reported, an officer was suspended for two days after shooting a protester in the face with a gas canister.[19]
The city responded to such incidents by hiring consultants and drew up plans to address concerns related to the behavior of its police department, including a youth interaction program for police.[22] In 2018, consultant group 21st Century Policing Solutions provided recommendations and monitored police behavior, with MLive writing the group concluded GRPD "had much more work to be done".[22] The city also initiated studies to evaluate the relationship of residents and the police.[22] In 2020, City of Grand Rapids survey data revealed that black respondents held less trust in GRPD than white or Hispanic respondents.[22][19] That same year, the GRPD outlined a plan, according to MLive, that included "making every patrol officer a community policing specialist, pilot a co-response of officers and mental health workers to specific incidents, enhance community communication, evaluate specific police technologies and more".[22]
Incident
External videos | |
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Cellphone footage of the incident on April 4, 2022 on YouTube |
According to a Michigan State Police interview with Lyoya's passenger, the passenger and a friend woke Lyoya to ask him for a ride to downtown Grand Rapids.[25] After dropping off the friend, the two purchased beer – the passenger said there were open containers in the vehicle – and the two discussed Lyoya starting a business for haircuts.[25] Shortly after 8:00 a.m. EDT, a dashcam video shows Schurr, who was driving alone, passing a tan Nissan Altima driven by Lyoya in his patrol car, with the officer pulling into a home's driveway to turn around and follow Lyoya for a few residential blocks before pulling him over.[26][27][7] Lyoya's passenger said that Lyoya was already pulling over as the vehicle was experiencing mechanical problems.[25] Grand Rapids Police Department records show that Schurr called in the traffic stop at Griggs Street SE and Nelson Avenue SE at 8:11 a.m. EDT.[28][24][27][29][30][31]
At the time that Schurr pulled him over for having an improper vehicle registration – its
Video recordings show Lyoya exiting his sedan, ignoring Schurr's shouted orders for him to remain in the vehicle, then asking the officer "What did I do wrong?"[24][34] Lyoya initially appears confused when Schurr asks him for his driver's license, but then confirms he speaks English and tells the officer it's inside the car. Lyoya opens the driver's side door of his vehicle and stands there for about 30 seconds while he speaks to a passenger inside, but never reenters the car or retrieves a license.[19][34][28] Lyoya then closes the car door again and begins to walk towards the hood of his vehicle, away from Schurr. Schurr attempts to grab Lyoya by the arm, who then runs away.[24][34] At 8:13 a.m. EDT, Schurr calls for backup, then pursues Lyoya and a scuffle ensues.[24][27] Schurr tells Lyoya to "stop" and "stop resisting" several times, and at one point Lyoya replies "okay" as his hands are behind his back.[24][35]
Schurr then pulls out his
Chief Winstrom subsequently confirmed that Lyoya was shot in the back of his head, that he was unaware of any weapons recovered other than Schurr's firearm and Taser, and that the police body camera had become deactivated as a result of the struggle.[34][7] He also confirmed that Schurr's squad car was equipped with an automatic license-plate reader, but didn't know whether it had been deployed in making the stop, or if Schurr was aware of Lyoya's criminal history at the time of the shooting.[7]
GRPD records include documentation of officers responding to the scene, with one officer writing that a witness said Lyoya had taken Schurr's Taser and stated "Your officer, he did all the right shit. ... He did everything he could do to deescalate the situation."[27] The witness, who stated he was getting his phone from his home when the shot was fired, later stated he changed his opinion about the whether the shooting was justified after viewing video of the killing, stating Schurr "always had the upper hand".[38]
Investigations and criminal charges
Following the shooting, the
After the official autopsy had been performed but before its results were released, the Lyoya family hired Dr. Werner Spitz to perform a second, independent autopsy. Spitz reported that Lyoya was killed by a single gunshot from a gun pressed to the back of his skull. During a press conference on April 19, attorney Benjamin Crump highlighted Spitz's finding that, prior to his death, Lyoya had a predicted life expectancy of 82 and could have lived a "long and fruitful life".[26][42] Released on May 6, the official report from Kent County Medical Examiner Stephen Cohle agreed with the cause of death, adding that no other injuries or diseases were present and that Lyoya had died with a blood alcohol content of 0.29%, more than three times the legal drunk-driving limit of 0.08%.[33]
Calls for recusal of prosecutor
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker stated following the release of videos that "[w]hile the videos released today are important evidence, they are not all evidence", with Kent County officials waiting for an investigation to complete before deciding whether to press charges against the officer.
Kent County charges
On June 9, 2022, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker filed a charge of
Response to charges
According to Professor Mark Dotson of the
Schurr's attorneys Mark Dodge and Matthew Borgula stated that the incident "was not murder but an unfortunate tragedy, resulting from a highly volatile situation".
Preliminary hearing
A preliminary hearing to determine if Schurr should face trial for second-degree murder was held on October 27, 2022, with the hearing be held by Judge Nicholas S. Ayoub.[38][48][49] In Michigan, the legal threshold for second-degree murder is low, with probable cause being sufficient for such charges.[38] During the hearing, an engineer for Axon Enterprise said that the taser could have still been functional if pressed against someone and Sergeant Nicholas Calati of the GRPD stated that when police arrived on the scene, the taser was located near Lyoya's hands.[38]
At a hearing on October 31, Judge Ayoub provided his judicial opinion that Schurr would face a jury trial for second-degree murder, stating that Schurr "knew he was pointing the gun and firing it at close range" at the back of Lyoya's head and that the trial should determine if Schurr's "actions were justified under the law."[48] When stating the facts of the incident, Judge Ayoub said that Lyoya had control of the weapon when Schurr shot him.[49]
Response
Lyoya family response
We are condemning Russian soldiers for shooting civilians in Ukraine in the back of the head, ... Why aren't we condemning police officers here in the United States of America shooting Black civilians in the back of the head? If it's wrong in Ukraine ... it's wrong in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Lyoya's family and their interpreter Pastor Israel Siku were later shown footage of the incident at an MSP office and reported that Patrick was killed "execution style", with Siku telling his congregation "I saw the video, I could not sleep ... The boy was on the floor, the cop as he lays on him, pulls up the gun and shoots him in the head and back up. Patrick did not move."[28][39][50] Siku would also translate a statement from Lyoya's father, who said "I witnessed this thing in Africa. I never expected to see it happen in America."[51] Lyoya's family demanded the immediate public release of footage related to the incident, an open autopsy, the identification of the officer and that a Swahili language translator be present when the family meets with authorities.[52]
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who had worked with the families of
In Lansing, the Lyoya family held a vigil at the Epicenter of Worship.[54] At the vigil, Pastor Sean Holland preached "For it was on Good Friday that a man named Jesus was illegally arrested and murdered at the hands of the state. But three days later, justice. There will be a resurrection, ... It is important that we name what happened. Our brother was murdered."[54]
Police response
On April 6, Kent County Commissioner Robert S. Womack stated "This was an execution. My career was threatened yesterday and today to be quiet."[34][55] President of the Greater Grand Rapids NAACP Cle Jackson stated in a news conference shortly after the incident "We’ve constantly, constantly been talking about the harassment and the brutality that’s done right here".[19] After the release of statements regarding Lyoya's death, the NAACP of Grand Rapids demanded the immediate release of the video on April 6.[56]
On April 12, authorities announced that they would release mostly-uncensored videos from four different angles of Lyoya's killing the following day, saying that some images "may have been redacted/blurred to ensure privacy."[57][58] Chief Winstrom stated that authorities would not release the identity of the officer involved in the shooting.[59] Before the video was released, GRPD began to place barriers outside of their headquarters in preparation for demonstrations.[58] Chief Winstrom described the incident as "a tragedy".[37]
Organizations
On June 1, 2022, the Grand Rapids Association of Pastors presented a document signed by about 70 local pastors and spiritual leaders from multiple denominations announcing a "Call for Justice Sunday" to be held on
The Grand Rapids Association of Pastors listed the following demands:[43][61]
- The recusal of Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker
- Federal investigations of the incident and the behavior of the GRPD
- Public participation in GRPD union negotiations and ending the impunity of GRPD officers
- Increased funding and resources for the Grand Rapids Civilian Appeal Board and Office of Oversight and Public Accountability
- That GRPD respect the freedom of speech during public protests against the killing of Lyoya without implementing intimidation or violence against demonstrators
Public response
A march was held on April 9 in southeast Grand Rapids, with Siku gathering individuals to watch two men re-enact what was reportedly seen in the video.[20][53] German newspaper Ludwigsburger Kreiszeitung wrote, "Deadly police operations of a similar nature are sadly regularly occurring in the USA", further explaining that the case is reminiscent of the murder of George Floyd.[62] A Grand Rapids City Commission meeting was held on the evening of April 12 and more than 100 protesters organized by the Royal Black Panther Party Grand Rapids marched outside, with chants from the demonstrations being heard in the Council Chambers nine-stories up.[29][58][63]
Residents of Grand Rapids responded to the release of the videos, with hundreds demonstrating in the downtown area and outside of the GRPD headquarters.
Two city commission meetings were adjourned due to the public entering and protesting; one meeting on April 26 and another on May 10.
Governmental
Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer shared her sympathy with Lyoya's family and asked for any protests to be peaceful.[19] Kent County Commissioner Womack stated at the meeting "We want to see more de-escalation, more training, but that's enough about the system cause everyone is going to be emotionally hurt when they see this...and the family is asking for peace, so I thank the young people who have been acting peacefully....We don't wanna see anymore people die."[57] President of the United States Joe Biden invited Lyoya's family to the White House on May 25, 2022, to be present for the signing of the George Floyd executive order.[72][73]
See also
- Lists of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States
- List of unarmed African Americans killed by law enforcement officers in the United States
- List of homicides in Michigan
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Bibliography
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