'We are not important to the justice [system]': Lyoya family speaks on no retrial of Christopher Schurr

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The family of Patrick Lyoya spoke in a press conference on Thursday, a week after the Kent County prosecutor announced he would not retry Christopher Schurr, the former Grand Rapids police officer who fatally shot their son during a traffic stop where the two struggled over the Schurr's taser.

The prosecutor's decision came as a "shock" to the family, who spoke through a translator and sat alongside civil rights attorney Ven Johnson.

"We're black in this country," Peter Lyoya said. "We are not important to the justice [system]."

WATCH: The Lyoya family speaks for the first time since the Kent County prosecutor decided to not re-try ex-GRPD officer Christopher Schurr

The father of Patrick Lyoya said he had a "doubt" about the second-degree murder case from "the beginning" and claimed several parts of the legal process felt like a "trap."

"They took it long. They took it long. They extended it," Peter Lyoya said about the three years that passed between his son's death and the trial. "All of that, in my mind, was a trap."

The jury selection process, which resulted in a majority white jury, and the defense's repeated calls for a mistrial also felt like a "trap" to him.

"There's something that is not going right here," Peter Lyoya said.

JURY DEMOGRAPHICS: Will race, sex and career play a part in Schurr trial?

When a mistrial was declared in the case after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict after four days of deliberation, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker addressed the media in a post-trial press conference. He said the Lyoya family's opinion on a potential retrial would "play a role" in his decision whether to bring the case before a new jury.

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Two weeks later, Becker announced he would not retry Schurr for second-degree murder.

"I know it is extremely disappointing to the family of Patrick Lyoya and many in the community, and I did not arrive at this decision lightly," said Becker, who believed a retrial would not have resulted in a guilty verdict as, on the day the mistrial was declared, all but two jurors were in favor of acquittal, he claimed.

"I put forward the best case I could," he said. "In the end, I do not see the ability to get twelve people to unanimously agree."

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Less than an hour before the prosecutor publicly announced his decision, he spoke with the Lyoya family.

"I really felt bad," Dorcas Lyoya said. "That was so shocking to me."

During Thursday's press conference, the mother of Patrick Lyoya said she would "never find peace and happiness" until "justice is given to my son."

"This decision really broke me down, and my heart is still bleeding right now," she said.

"I want this murderer to know all the rest of his life the blood of my son will be hanging on his head," Peter Lyoya said about Schurr.

FOX 17 asked the Lyoyas if they agreed with Becker's claim that he put forth his "best case."

"The Lyoyas are obviously not lawyers," said attorney Ven Johnson, speaking on the family's behalf. "It doesn't feel like the best of the best because if it was the best of the best it would have been, in their mind, because [Patrick] is their son and I get it, it would have been a guilty verdict."

"They have publicly thanked Mr. Becker repeatedly," he added. "So, no, the Lyoyas are not being critical of Chris Becker."

At the opening of the press conference, Johnson himself thanked the prosecutor for filing the murder charge and trying the case.

"To say that it was a difficult case for him from the beginning would be an understatement," Johnson said. "We appreciate what he did."

Johnson is currently representing the Lyoyas in a civil lawsuit against Schurr, alleging the former GRPD officer violated Patrick Lyoya's constitutional rights during the deadly traffic stop.

"What we're seeing in Michigan is an absolute erosion of our civil rights," said Johnson, adding the case will likely not reach a trial for another two to two and a half years.

A scheduling conference in the civil lawsuit has been set for June 17.

READ MORE: Burden of proof "substantially less" in civil suit against Christopher Schurr

In a phone call conversation with FOX 17 on Thursday, defense attorney Matt Borgula, who represented Schurr during the criminal trial, said his client "sympathizes with the situation" and has "not had any ill will" toward the Lyoya family.

Borgula has argued Schurr acted in self-defense during the traffic stop, fearing for his life as he and Lyoya struggled over his taser.

READ MORE: Grand Rapids police captain says former officer acted reasonably

"This is the end of a very tragic situation," he said about the decision not to retry the case. "It's not a victory."

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