Mistrial for Michigan police officer charged in fatal shooting of Congolese immigrant

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A judge declared a mistrial Thursday after the jury in Michigan couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict in the second-degree murder trial of a police officer who shot Patrick Lyoya, a Black man, in the back of the head following a traffic stop in 2022.

The result came right at the start of the fourth day of deliberations and was a partial victory for Christopher Schurr, who still could face another trial. The killing of Lyoya, a Congolese immigrant and father of two, sparked weeks of protest in Grand Rapids, especially after the city’s police chief released video of the confrontation.

The mistrial came a day after three former Memphis police officers were acquitted in the beating death of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop. His death more than two years ago was the first post-George Floyd case that revealed the limits of an unprecedented reckoning over police reform and racial injustice in Black America.

Schurr shot Lyoya while the 26-year-old lay facedown on the ground. Schurr, now 34, told jurors he feared his life was at stake after losing control of his Taser during an intense struggle in a residential neighborhood. Videos were a key part of trial and were repeatedly shown to the jury. The struggle with the Taser, which fires electrically charged probes, was central to Schurr’s defense.

The former officer stared straight ahead as the mistrial was declared. One spectator sitting near the Lyoya family loudly objected to the result as he left the courtroom. Few members of the general public were present compared with earlier in the trial.

Judge Christina Mims had urged the jurors to keep working after they said Tuesday that they were struggling to reach a consensus. They returned to Kent County court again Wednesday for another day of deliberations.

“Thank you for your time,” Mims said after declaring a mistrial.

The shooting happened on April 4, 2022, when Schurr stopped a Nissan Altima for improper license plates.

Body camera and dash camera video showed Lyoya running after Schurr requested his driver’s license. Schurr tackled him and a struggle ensued. The officer tried to subdue Lyoya by firing his Taser but he was unsuccessful.

Lyoya eventually got control of the device, and Schurr repeatedly demanded that he stop resisting and drop the Taser.

Schurr was on top of Lyoya when he shot him in the head. He testified that he was “running on fumes” after the fight and in great fear because a Taser can cause “excruciating pain” and injury.

“I believed that if I hadn’t done it at that time, I wasn’t going to go home,” Schurr said of shooting Lyoya.

The prosecutor, however, argued that the Taser had already been deployed twice by Schurr by that time and could only be used in a different mode if Lyoya had decided to turn it against the officer.

It’s not known why Lyoya was trying to flee. Records show his driver’s license was revoked at the time and there was an arrest warrant for him in a domestic violence case, though Schurr didn’t know it. An autopsy revealed his blood-alcohol level was three times above the legal limit for driving, according to testimony.

Schurr, a seven-year veteran of the Grand Rapids department, was fired shortly after he was charged in 2022.

Lyoya ultimately joined a list of other Black immigrants who sought better lives in the U.S., only to suffer abuse or death at the hands of law enforcement. Before him were Botham Jean, Amadou Diallo and Abner Louima — all men whose cases increased awareness around the global impact of systemic racism in policing.

As in many U.S. cities, Grand Rapids police have been occasionally criticized over the use of force, particularly against Black people, who make up 18% of the population.

Volmert and White write for the Associated Press.