LANSING, Mich. — Michigan's Attorney General laid to rest any idea that her office would revive the criminal case against a former Grand Rapids police officer charged with murder.
Dana Nessel will not conduct a re-trial of Christopher Schurr, an office spokesperson confirmed to FOX 17 on Friday. Schurr went on trial for the death of Patrick Lyoya roughly one month ago, but the jury could not come to a unanimous decision on his guilt or innocence.
The judge declared a mistrial after four days of deliberation.
Shooting death of Patrick Lyoya
Analysis: Prosecutor's decision to not retry Schurr case after mistrial
Legally, the Attorney General's Office could have taken up the case, even after Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced one week ago he would not pursue a second trial. However, the AG's spokesperson says the department will respect Becker's decision.
"The Attorney General recognizes how difficult a hung jury, as the outcome of this case, is for families seeking justice, but this department does not operate as an appellate prosecuting authority over cases tried at the local level," the statement read.
A civil lawsuit by Lyoya's family against Schurr is still pending in federal court.
Click here for more coverage on the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya.
Read the full statement from the Michigan Attorney General below:
The Department of Attorney General will not be conducting a re-trial of Christopher Schurr. We maintain our offer to locally elected prosecutors across the State to refer cases of officer involved shootings to our office for review and potential prosecution, but when a local prosecutor keeps the case we respect that decision.
The Attorney General recognizes how difficult a hung jury, as the outcome of this case, is for families seeking justice, but this department does not operate as an appellate prosecuting authority over cases tried at the local level.
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