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U.S.|Mistrial in Murder Case Against Michigan Officer Who Shot Motorist
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/us/grand-rapids-police-shooting.html
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The jury deadlocked in the trial of Christopher Schurr, who testified that he feared for his life when he fatally shot Patrick Lyoya during a traffic stop in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2022.
May 8, 2025, 10:22 a.m. ET
A Michigan jury said it was deadlocked on Thursday in a murder case against a police officer who fatally shot a motorist during a traffic stop.
Judge Christina Mims of the Kent County Circuit Court declared a mistrial after jurors, who had been deliberating for four days, said they were unable to reach a verdict.
The defendant, Christopher Schurr, formerly a police officer in Grand Rapids, Mich., took the stand during the trial and said that he feared for his life when he opened fire at the driver, Patrick Lyoya, after Mr. Lyoya grabbed his stun gun.
“I believe if I didn’t do what I did when I did it, I wouldn’t be here today,” Mr. Schurr told the jury, in his first public remarks about the shooting.
Mr. Lyoya’s death in 2022 set off protests and heightened racial tensions in Michigan, during a national debate over police misconduct and racism that followed the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
Mr. Schurr, 36, is white. Mr. Lyoya, 26, was Black.
Mr. Lyoya’s killing received extensive media coverage, in large part because it was captured on video from several angles, including by Mr. Schurr’s body camera, a bystander’s cellphone and a nearby doorbell security system.
