Chief: Michigan cop charged in Lyoya's death should be fired
Kent County Commissioner Robert Womack shows Peter Lyoya the broadcast feed in attorney Ven Johnson's office, Thursday, June 9, 2022, in Detroit. A Michigan police officer who killed Peter's son, Patrick Lyoya, with a shot to the back of the Black man's head has been charged with second-degree murder. Prosecutor Chris Becker announced the charges Thursday against Grand Rapids Officer Christopher Schurr, weeks after Lyoya was killed following a chaotic traffic stop on April 4.
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. “Mr. Lyoya gained full control of a police officer’s weapon while resisting arrest, placing Officer Schurr in fear of great bodily harm or death,” Matt Borgula and Mark Dodge said in a written statement.
Across the state in Detroit, Peter Lyoya watched the announcement with his lawyer, Ven Johnson, and said he was pleased with the decision. Schurr turned himself in and was being held at a jail outside Kent County ahead of a court appearance Friday.