National

A Michigan police officer is charged with murder in Patrick Lyoya shooting

By NPR Staff

Published June 9, 2022 at 1:14 PM PDT

This story was published more than 2 years ago.

Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr stops to talk with a resident in 2015 in Grand Rapids, Mich.

A police officer in Michigan has been charged with second-degree murder, following a shooting of Patrick Lyoya that took place on April 4.

Grand Rapids officer Christopher Schurr shot the unarmed Lyoya in the back of the head following a struggle during a traffic stop. Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said Schurr has turned himself in and will be arraigned tomorrow.

As Lyoya was on the ground, Shurr demanded that he "let go" of the officer's Taser, and then fired the fatal shot.

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Schurr told Lyoya, a refugee from Congo, that he stopped him because of an issue with his license plate. When he asked for Lyoya's driver's license, Lyoya started to run.

After Schurr caught him, the two men struggled prior to the fatal shot.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.