Christopher Schurr's murder trial continues on day 4 as defense makes case
KENT COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - The murder trial against former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr continues Thursday. 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 breaks Thursday
A judge ended things for the day around 4:30 p.m. and planned on having the trial resume around 8:30 a.m. Friday.
Defense calls biomedical scientist
Doctor Mark Kroll is a scientist with a specialty in bio-electricity. He studies the interaction of electricity in the human body and does research on electricity for use of therapy as well as to control the human body.
He has done work on tasers and often consults on the manufacture of equipment that uses electricity for controlling the body through pain or muscle contractions.
Use-of-force expert takes the stand
Lon Bartel is an expert in use-of-force and helped build training facilities for the U.S. military and law enforcement. He has been involved in the development of training programs that help simulate various situations that officers may find themselves in.
They could be situations where deadly force is needed, as well as de-escalation, and other less lethal options. He also has a background in exercise and physiology, as well as more than two decades of experience as a police officer.
He told the defense that, in his opinion, Schurr's decision to shoot Lyoya was based on a fear that his life was threatened. He said Schurr's exhaustion played a role in his options becoming limited - leading to his use of deadly force.
The time the two individuals struggled was about 2 minutes and 20 seconds. Bartel said that it would be enough time for anyone to grow tired if there is constant physical exertion. While watching video of the incident, he said Schurr showed signs of exhaustion.
Lon Bartel
Defense calls forensic analyst back to stand
Bob McFarlane was previously called to the stand as the defense's first witness. He is an expert in forensic video analysis and previously walked the jurors through how he synchronized clips of Schurr's struggle with Lyoya.
Use-of-force instructor testifies
The defense's next witness is officer Jason Gady, who works with the Grand Rapids Police Department and has spent time as an instructor. That includes use-of-force instruction like firearm training.
The defense asked Gady about when using deadly force is justified, and where officers are trained to target during situations they fear for life and safety.
Gady said officers are trained to fire when there's a reasonable threat of death or serious bodily injury. He also said officers are trained to target parts of the body that would stop the subject's actions "as quickly as possible."
That includes specifically targeting the head - not other parts of the body or even a warning shot.
He told the court there was nothing inappropriate about the manner in which Schurr drew and fired his gun.
Defense calls more police witnesses
Chad McKersie works as a police captain with the Grand Rapids Police Department. He has over two decades of experience in law enforcement.
He is also one of the department's only master taser instructors.
McKersie's testimony was similar to a taser expert's testimony from the second day of the trial, but from law enforcement's perspective. He outlined both the best practices around using a taser and how they work.
The role of the taser in the trial is part of the case by the defense, who argue that Schurr's fear that Lyoya might use the taser on him during their struggle was justification for feeling his life was threatened.
The specific function of a drive stun - when the taser is pressed directly against the skin - was part of McKersie's testimony. He said it was like being burned with a blow torch.
He told the court that Schurr was reasonable in his decision-making to use a taser after lower levels of force in subduing Lyoya.
"Ultimately, we're trying to change behavior, gain compliance," he told the courtroom.
He added that if an officer has a reasonable fear of serious injury or death, they are authorized to escalate their response to deadly force.
Prosecution cross-examines witness
Court resumed Thursday with the prosecution continuing his cross-examination of Capt. David Siver, one of the defense team's witnesses.
Day 3 of the trial ended with an intense exchange of questions about Siver's testimony after he told the courtroom about both the Grand Rapids Police Department's policies around the use of force and foot pursuits, as well as walking the jury through Schurr's actions on the day he shot Lyoya.
Siver had said he believed Schurr was reasonable in fearing for his life while trying to arrest Lyoya.
The prosecution focused on the department's lack of formal policy around foot pursuits, despite Siver telling the court about some of the factors that could inform an officer's decision-making in situations like chasing a suspect or when to use force.
Previous Schurr trial coverage:
On Wednesday, the prosecution continued questioning Nicholas Bloomfield, who reviews uses of force before resting its case.
While Bloomfield agrees Schurr was reasonable in his first actions, he said the ex-officer's use of a taser was done too close to the target and without the goal of retaining possession of the tool.
After the prosecution rested, the defense requested a motion for a mistrial, based on testimony from Bloomfield and another witness called by the prosecution, arguing they were not experts in the fields they gave opinions on and their lack of knowledge of Michigan law.
The judge denied this request, and the defense began calling witnesses, including several members of the Grand Rapids Police Department.
- Day three: Prosecution rests case
- Day two: Testimony includes taser expert, police tactics professor
- Day one: Witnesses take the stand
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.
Patrick Lyoya shooting: Grand Rapids police release videos of officer killing man during traffic stop
Police released video that shows the traffic stop and fight that resulted in a Grand Rapids police officer shooting and killing Patrick Lyoya.
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 FOX 2 reporting was used in this story.