Mistrial declared for former Michigan police officer in death of Patrick Lyoya, Black man shot in traffic stop

A mistrial was declared Thursday in the trial of a former Grand Rapids police officer in the 2022 shooting of Patrick Lyoya, who was fatally shot following a traffic stop.

Lyoya, 26, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was shot and killed on April 4, 2022, by former officer Christopher Schurr.

Schurr had pulled Lyoya over because his license plate didn’t match his car, police had said at the time. Lyoya ran when he was asked for his driver’s license and was facedown on the ground when he was shot. An independent autopsy found that Lyoya had been shot in the back of the head.

Schurr, who was fired in June 2022, was charged with second-degree murder.

Videos of the encounter showed Lyoya and Schurr struggling on the ground, with Lyoya appearing to try and take control of Schurr’s stun gun. Schurr ended up restraining Lyoya with his knee on his back before he shot him, video showed.

His death sparked protests in the city, and his family filed a $100 million federal civil lawsuit against the former officer and Grand Rapids, alleging that Schurr used excessive force. In August 2023, a federal judge dismissed Grand Rapids from the suit.