GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A former Grand Rapids police officer will not be retried on a charge of second-degree murder, the Kent County prosecutor announced Thursday morning.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker revealed his decision at 11:30 a.m. on May 22.
Watch: Prosecutor won't retry officer on murder charge
Becker’s decision comes two weeks after a mistrial was declared in Christopher Schurr’s case after the jury was unable to reach a verdict after four days of deliberation.
Schurr, a former Grand Rapids police officer, fatally shot Lyoya, a 26-year-old black man, in the back of the head during an April 2022 traffic stop.
Shooting death of Patrick Lyoya
MISTRIAL: Jurors unable to reach a verdict in trial of Christopher Schurr
“This is not an easy case,” Becker said in a post-trial press conference on May 8. “I’ve been involved in a number of officer-involved incidents where I've cleared them. If I clear them, that's because I believe it shouldn't go forward. This is one I felt, given all the facts and circumstances, that it deserved to go forward.”
Watch: Prosecutor Chris Becker speaks after a mistrial declared in the trial of Christopher Schurr
During the same press conference, Schurr’s legal team claimed the second-degree murder charge should have never been filed in the first place.
"Christopher Schurr never wanted to take a life. I guarantee it," defense attorney Matthew Borgula said. "There really is no winning here. A man died, and that is a very serious thing."
Borgula also claimed the jurors were “overwhelmingly in favor of acquittal.”
Watch: Defense attorney speaks with the media after jury deadlocks
The Lyoya family, who publicly pushed for a second criminal trial, still plans to “get justice” for their son.
"I want [Schurr] to know that he's still carrying the blood of Patrick on him,” Peter Lyoya, Patrick’s father, said on the day of the mistrial.
Watch: Lyoya family pledges to fight on after mistrial
A civil lawsuit filed against Schurr is currently pending in federal court after the U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal from the former officer's attorneys.
The Lyoya family’s attorney, Ven Johnson, has previously said the mistrial would not impact the case.
"I think this shows that our civil case is extremely strong,” Johnson said in a prior interview. “We will be moving forward with that belief.”
Click here for more coverage on the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya.
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