Christopher Schurr on trial: Defense calls ex-officer to the stand in his murder trial

Defense calls ex-officer Christopher Schurr to the stand in his murder trial

The trial is taking place in Kent County court and FOX 2 is streaming the coverage every day. Court will resume around 9 a.m. Thursday, with delayed coverage above.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (FOX 2) - The murder trial against former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr continues Friday. Schurr was charged with second-degree murder after shooting and killing 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya during a traffic stop in April 2024.

The trial is taking place in Kent County court and FOX 2 is streaming the coverage every day. Court will resume around 9 a.m. Thursday, with delayed coverage above.

Court adjourned until Monday

The judge concluded testimony Friday and plans to resume the trial on Monday at 9 a.m.

More testimony from defense

David Blake works as a consultant for training law enforcement. He specializes in human factor psychology and focuses on police practices.

Blake was asked about the way the body responds and reacts when under stress.

Lewis Kliem, the third witness of the day, works at Force Science as a consultant. The former police officer has done research on use of force. His firm also develops curriculum for law enforcement training.

He took issue with the methodology that two expert witnesses called to the stand by the prosecutor used when assessing the decision-making of officers. Both Dr. Seth Stoughton and Nicholas Bloomfield testified that Schurr's actions were wrong when he pursued Lyoya.

Break for lunch

The judge said the next witness would take more than five minutes, but that she would order a lunch break, which will take an hour.

Fear of access to Schurr's gun

Schurr told the court he both feared he could die or suffer great bodily harm if Lyoya grabbed his taser.

He added that if he was tased, it would give Lyoya access to his firearm.

"He started to turn towards me, and I felt if I didn't respond at that time, I wouldn't be here," he said.

The prosecution had no more questions after that.

The defense redirected, asking Schurr if he was doing what he was trained to do. He told the court he was. The defense added that Lyoya had gotten up multiple times during their struggle and the difference in the last case was that Lyoya had possession "of a dangerous weapon."

Prosecution cross-examines Schurr

The defense ended its line of questions before a short recess. The prosecution started its questions about Schurr's traffic patrol.

He first probed Schurr over his report on the incident, where the officer describes Lyoya taking a bladed stance. To Schurr, it indicates he could resist in some physical or verbal manner.

The prosecutor also asked Schurr about differences in his current testimony and his report. He asked why there was no mention of Lyoya's fists being clenched.

The prosecutor told Schurr that Lyoya was grabbing the taser because "he was trying not to get tased" after bringing up testimony about how it feels to be shocked by one.

Schurr told the court he felt Lyoya might point the taser at him, which is why he decided to use deadly force.

"I remember when I was fighting over it, I remember seeing this formation where I could see the red and switch," Schurr said, describing Lyoya's handling of the taser.

He also told the court he was aware that a neighbor had come out and could hear him, but not the sounds of police sirens in the distance.

Struggle over a taser

Schurr decided to use his taser after growing exhausted as Lyoya continued to resist the officer's demands.

As he pulled out his taser, Lyoya managed to get back up and face Schurr, who initially planned on using it while Lyoya was face down. As he deploys the taser, Lyoya grabs at it, giving him possession, Schurr testified.

He said he feared for his life because Lyoya had full control of the taser and held it like a firearm.

Schurr testified he had run out of energy. He also testified his training tells him action beats reaction and that he would need to act first, or he could die.

"What did you do next?" the defense asked.

"I shot him," Schurr said.

It was Schurr's first time firing his weapon while on the job.

Christopher Schurr feared Patrick Lyoya would tase him

During the traffic stop and chase, Christopher Schurr said he believed Patrick Lyoya would use his own Taser against him.

Attempting an arrest

Schurr told the court he was confident he could catch Lyoya at the beginning of the chase - eventually tackling him. He also tried using knee strikes on Lyoya's thighs so that he could arrest him.

During the skirmish, Schurr orders Lyoya to put his arms behind his back.

At this time, Schurr repeats his call for more backup, telling the court he was struggling and needed help.

Recalling the day of the shooting

Schurr said he arrived at the police station around 5 a.m. on April 4. He was out on the road around 6 a.m.

He was conducting traffic enforcement when a Nissan Altima passed him near Kalamazoo and Orville. They were both traveling south when the Altima turned west. Schurr ran his plates.

The license plate he ran did not match the vehicle, prompting him to follow the vehicle.

He described the behavior of the vehicle as "evasive" based on the number of right turns it had made. He then told dispatch that he would be making a traffic stop.

His stress level began to rise after the driver exited the vehicle when he pulled the car over. Schurr said it became clear to him that the driver - later identified as Lyoya - did not have a license.

As Schurr went to put him under arrest, Lyoya moves away. Schurr said his fists were clenched and he said that could indicate to an officer he could be physically assaulted.

Lyoya then runs away. At that time, Schurr radios for an emergency response, requesting backup.

Schurr says Lyoya never let taser go

In the fight after the traffic stop of Patrick Lyoya, Christopher Schurr said the driver never let go of the taser.

Schurr takes the stand

The ex-officer was called to the stand Friday morning to testify in his defense. He said it was important to "get my side of the story out."

He started with his upbringing before describing his training background as he worked to become a police officer. The 34-year-old grew up in Grand Rapids before finding himself in law enforcement.

He said there was a classroom element as well as exercises that the department used to train its officers in the use of their equipment, like tasers and firearms.

Christopher Schurr takes the stand in his murder trial.

Previous Schurr trial coverage

Three different police officers testified in defense of Schurr on Thursday, with each of them telling the jury they believed the former officer was reasonable in his decision-making in pursuing Lyoya, deploying his taser, and eventually using deadly force.

Their testimony contradicts what the prosecutor's witnesses said earlier in the trial when they told the courtroom that they believed Schurr's decision-making put him at risk.

The defense's witnesses included Capt. David Siver, Capt. Chad McKersie, who is a master taser instructor, and officer Jason Gady, who trains law enforcement in use-of-force.

Thursday wrapped up with defense witnesses that specialized in kinesiology and exercise fitness - who testified about Schurr's exhaustion and fatigue during his struggle - and a biomedical scientist who testified on taser usage.

In the days prior, the judge had denied a request to declare a mistrial from the defense over the testimony of the prosecution's witnesses.

The backstory:

On April 4, 2022, Patrick Lyoya, 26, and a friend were driving in Grand Rapids when an officer pulled up behind them. Schurr, the only officer in his squad vehicle at the time, called a traffic stop in the area of Griggs Street and Nelson Avenue.

Schurr originally pulled Lyoya over for having improper vehicle registration. Lyoya had already been on probation at the time of the stop, which was for owning a license plate that was registered to a different vehicle than the one he was driving.

Lyoya ignored Schurr's orders when he exited his car. He later walked away from the officer, leading Schurr to try and grab him by the arm. Lyoya instead ran.

The altercation between Schurr and Lyoya eventually led to the officer chasing him, calling for backup, and ordering Lyoya to stop resisting several times. The two continued to wrestle, leading to Schurr pulling out a taser, which Lyoya pushed away.

The scene ended with Schurr on top of Lyoya, who was chest down on the ground. Schurr at times could be heard telling Lyoya to let go of his taser. Minutes later, Schurr drew his gun, presses it against the back of Lyoya's head, and shoots him.

The entire incident happened over 5 minutes, from 8:11 a.m. to 8:16 a.m.

Schurr was charged with second-degree murder for the fatal shooting.

The Source: Previous reporting and live court coverage