The Michigan prosecutor reviewing the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya, who was killed by a Grand Rapids police officer in April, will announce a decision on whether he plans to file criminal charges against the officer Thursday afternoon, the prosecutor’s office announced Wednesday.
Lyoya was shot to death by an officer who was trying to arrest him after a traffic stop. The case drew significant national attention because of the circumstances leading to the shooting and multiple videos showing Lyoya’s final moments.
In May, the prosecutor reviewing the case, Christopher Becker, announced he was seeking guidance from outside experts before deciding whether to charge the officer. On Wednesday, Becker announced he has reached a decision that will be announced during a news conference Thursday at 3 p.m.
Lyoya was driving a car that Officer Christopher Schurr pulled over on April 4. Lyoya got out of the car and ran from Schurr, and resisted Schurr’s attempt to arrest him. Schurr shot him while the two were on the ground as Schurr wrestled for control of Lyoya, and Schurr said Lyoya had his Taser.
Lyoya had three outstanding warrants at the time he fled Schurr, and an autopsy revealed his blood alcohol concentration was more than three times the legal limit for the driver of a car.
Michigan State Police turned over a partial investigative file at the end of April, and, after initially reviewing the case, sought additional information from the police agency and the manufacturer of equipment used by the officer. The medical examiner in the county turned over an autopsy in early May after rushing toxicology tests, the prosecutor said.
Lyoya’s death – from a gunshot to the back of the head – led to protests in Grand Rapids, which has had other incidents of policing under media scrutiny, and a history of tension between Black residents and police. The shooting led the state’s civil rights agency to renew a request for a pattern-and-practice investigation into the Grand Rapids Police Department, just short of one month after a new police chief took office.
