Trial begins for Christopher Schurr for the murder of Patrick Lyoya

Grand Rapids, MI – At 8:30 a.m. on the morning of April 28, the trial of Christopher Schurr for the murder of Patrick Lyoya began.

Patrick Lyoya was a Congolese man living in Grand Rapids when he was shot and killed by former Grand Rapids Police Department officer Christopher Schurr on April 4, 2022, during a traffic stop. A little over three years later, this officer who executed Lyoya is finally seeing his day in court.

Patrick Lyoya was 26 years old. He was shot in the back of the head by Schurr at point blank range.

From the beginning of the trial, it became clear that both sides’ arguments rested on Schurr’s intent. To the prosecutor, trying to get justice for Lyoya, the basis for a guilty verdict would be proving that Schurr killed Lyoya on purpose, when other methods of subduing him were available, while deliberately escalating the situation leading up to the murder. On the officer’s side, the basis of an acquittal would be to claim Schurr acted in self-defense.

The prosecutor’s witnesses included the Kent County Chief Medical Examiner, as well as Lyoya’s friends, one of whom was in the car with him when Schurr pulled them over.

The first cross examination from the defense made it clear that the main strategy is to smear Lyoya and paint him as a violent drunk. The defense attorneys, Matthew Borgula and Mikayla Hamilton, asked his friends how much Lyoya was drinking leading up to his murder, why he refused to comply to an officer’s orders, and attempted to bring up Lyoya’s past criminal history – which was shut down by the judge before the jury could return.

The prosecution raised numerous objections regarding Borgula’s cross examination style. In one instance, the defense began an argument with one of Lyoya’s friends regarding his state of intoxication that day. Each time the objection was raised by the prosecution, that the defense is just arguing with a witness, the judge sustained it.

Witnesses called by the cop’s defense played into the typical copaganda you’d expect. A Michigan state detective called by the defense played a video that contained a highlight reel of Schurr at the police training academy. During her opening statement, defense attorney Mikayla Hamilton went on about how Schurr and his wife are missionaries and devout churchgoers. The tactic was to show how all-American cop superstar Christopher Schurr was supposedly protecting the people of Grand Rapids by executing Patrick Lyoya.

Wayne Butler, the third witness called by the prosecution, is the homeowner who witnessed the encounter between Lyoya and Schurr. He spoke on how the struggle between Lyoya and Schurr was clearly dominated by Schurr the entire time and how Lyoya never threw any kicks or punches. He also testified to how Lyoya was attempting to move Schurr’s taser away from him – an event the defense is using to justify Lyoya’s execution. While recounting how he spoke to Patrick Lyoya as he lay on the ground, Butler told the court, “In America’s history this is how it ends every time.”

The second day of trial began on April 29.

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