GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Thirteen hours ago as of this article's publishing, the Gerald R. Ford Metro Lodge #97 Fraternal Order of the Police shared a post about Grand Rapids Police Officer Chris Schurr.
Monday, GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom confirmed what had already been circulating on social media for weeks: the name of the officer who shot and killed Patrick Lyoya following a traffic stop and struggle on April 4.
Chris Schurr started with GRPD in 2015.
Shortly after GRPD released Schurr's name to the public, the Gerald R. Ford Metro Lodge #97 Fraternal Order of the Police made a post about the officer.
The FOA post states:
"Officer Schurr is a public servant and servant of the Lord. He chose to minister to the people of Kenya and serve those less fortunate than him. Hardly the racist so many of the usual police haters try to portray him as."
Next, it discusses a post shared on social media and borrowed to be shared by the official FOA page. That post reads:
"Everyone, this is Chris. A lot of people are sharing pictures of him right now and are trying to portray him as an evil person. That is not Chris. The picture on the left is the day Chris was sworn into the police department, a smile all new police officers once shared. The picture on the right is when Chris was in Kenya getting sized for his wedding ring. For those that don’t know, Chris married the love of his life while on a missions trip. They had the opportunity to commit their lives to one another during a traditional Kenyan ceremony and from all of Chris' stories, it was truly a magical day for them.
That’s the type of guy Chris is; someone who serves the Lord unconditionally and does it with a smile on his face. Chris recently had to make a decision that all as officers hope and pray never have to make. Because Chris made it, the world is trying to make him out to be a monster. Since the media and haters want to try and overwhelm Facebook with terrible still shots of Chris, and unbelievably disgusting lies, I wanted to take a second to add a little bit of truth to your feed, even for a second.
If you see the pictures below and you see a monster please unfriend me and never look back. But if you look at these pictures and see someone who was just trying to serve and protect his community at all costs, please take a second and say an extra prayer for this officer."
The FOA describes itself as the "voice of Grand Rapids area law enforcement, dedicated to the officers, deputies, troopers, and civilians who walk the thin blue line every day."
This article, including the photo, is posted with the permission of the Grand Rapids Fraternal Order of Police. They are not the union representing Chris Schurr. That is done by the GRPOA.
