A prosecutor filed a second-degree murder charge Thursday against the Michigan police officer who killed Patrick Lyoya, a Black man who was on the ground when he was shot in the back of the head following an intense physical struggle recorded on a bystander's phone.
Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker announced his decision against Grand Rapids Officer Christopher Schurr, who killed Lyoya minutes after a traffic stop on April 4. Video from a passenger in the vehicle captured the final chilling moments.
Schurr, who is white, told Lyoya that he stopped his car because the license plate didn't match the vehicle. Roughly a minute later, Lyoya began to run after he was asked to produce a driver's license.Becker said he consulted experts from outside Michigan about the use of force in the case. He spoke to Lyoya's parents to inform them about the charge before holding a news conference and also sent a letter in Swahili, their native language.
Another family lawyer, Ben Crump, said the murder charge was the right call, adding: “Officer Schurr must be held accountable.” Black community activists weeks ago had accused Becker, a Republican, of being too close to police and urged him to give the case to the Michigan attorney general, a Democrat, to avoid even the appearance of a conflict. But the prosecutor declined.
“I guarantee that we can do more,” he said. “Actually, that's one of the things I've already reached out to my colleagues to say, `Hey, I need some curriculum, because we are going to beef it up.”'
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