Ex-Grand Rapids officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya will stand trial for murder

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The ex-Grand Rapids police officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya will stand trial on murder charges.

Christopher Schurr was charged in June with second-degree murder after shooting Lyoya in the back of the head, killing him, during a traffic stop on April 4.

“There is little doubt that Lyoya’s death was caused by the gunshot wound to the head,” the judge said on Monday. “The defendant knew that he was pointing the gun and firing it at close range at Lyoya’s head.”

Schurr’s attorneys have argued that he acted in accordance with Grand Rapids Police Department policy and that his use of force was justified.

Lyoya’s family’s attorneys have argued that Schurr repeatedly failed to de-escalate the situation and instead escalated it.

“The only real debatable question is whether the defendant’s actions were justified under the law,” the judge said.

Read: Patrick Lyoya’s father reacts to decision to charge Grand Rapids officer with 2nd-degree murder