Mistrial Declared in Christopher Schurr’s Murder Trial for Patrick Lyoya’s Death

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A judge declared a mistrial Thursday morning in the murder trial of former police officer Christopher Schurr, who faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of Patrick Lyoya. The jury informed Judge Christina Mims that they could not reach a unanimous verdict after deliberating for three days.

Deliberations began on Monday, May 5, and jurors reported a deadlock the following day. Despite the judge’s instructions to continue working towards a decision, Mims ultimately accepted the jury’s inability to agree on a verdict.

Schurr shot Lyoya during a struggle that ensued from a traffic stop on April 4, 2022. Schurr claimed he feared for his life when Lyoya gained control of his Taser. Prosecutors countered that Lyoya posed no threat and was merely attempting to escape.

The trial featured numerous videos of the incident, including a witness’s cellphone recording that captured the moments leading up to the shooting. It shows Schurr on top of Lyoya, who was on his hands and knees, during a struggle over the Taser before the fatal shot was fired.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker addressed jury members during closing arguments, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. “It wasn’t TV. It’s not movies. This is a real man, a human being, who was shot in the back of the head,” Becker said.

In contrast, Schurr’s defense team provided expert analysis claiming that Lyoya had acquired Schurr’s Taser during the struggle. Video analyst Bob McFarland demonstrated this point during the trial.

As Schurr testified, he described feeling exhausted and under threat from Lyoya. “I believed if I didn’t do it at that time, I wasn’t going to go home,” Schurr stated on the stand.

Witnesses, including a passenger in Lyoya’s vehicle and nearby residents, provided conflicting accounts of the encounter. The community has been divided over the incident, with strong emotions surrounding issues of police use of force and racial tensions in the aftermath of similar cases across the nation.

The state will now determine how to proceed following the mistrial.