Grand Rapids officer arraignment today • Oil spill in Great Lakes • James Craig announces write-in candidacy
FRIDAY NEWS HIT - The Grand Rapids police officer who shot and killed Patrick Lyoya following a traffic stop in April is expected to be arraigned on second degree murder charges Friday, a day after the prosecutor announced his decision.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker made the choice to pursue second-degree murder charges since Christopher Schurr's decision to shoot Lyoya was not justified or excused by self-defense.
A county commissioner who spoke alongside Lyoya's family's attorney said "It really just shows that without video, without bodycam, how many Black lives have been lost in the past?"
While footage from the shooting was collected from the bodycam, from the squad car, and from a neighbor's home, it was a bystander's video caught on cell phone that revealed the moments when Schurr upholstered his gun and shot Lyoya.
The charging decision came months after the shooting. Becker told media Thursday that he received the report the May 31 and had told both police of his decision on June 10.
Lyoya's family were alongside Attorney Ven Johnson during the announcement.
"My heart was really broken the last two months," Peter Lyoya, Patrick's father, said through a translator. "Because a lot ot things were said, I was not quite sure with the truth in my hand. And I was thinking maybe there is no justice in America. And to go according to what the prosecutor just said, to charge the police officer who killed Patrick, Patrick is not coming back. We are not going to see him again. And to show at this point the police officer will be charged and is charged, that really brings consolation to our family."
Among the charges that Schurr won't be arraigned on is felony firearm. Becker said that due to a 1991 Michigan Supreme Court case, police officers cannot be charged with the crime.
Here's what the family of Patrick Lyoya had to say after police charged the officer who shot him
Oil spill in the Great Lakes
An oil spill temporarily closed shipping traffic on the St. Marys River between Ontario and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday. The 5,300-gallon (20,063-liter) spill originated from Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, around 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
The 75-mile (121-kilometer) river connects Lake Superior and Lake Huron and serves as part of the border between Michigan and Ontario. The Coast Guard asked for all traffic to stay away from the affected area. The river reopened to shipping traffic later Thursday, MLive.com reported.
"We’re working in lock-step with our Canadian, American, and tribal partners to ensure the sanctity of our river," Capt. Anthony Jones, commander of Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, said in a statement.
Coast Guard pollution responders are monitoring the situation and will coordinate the containment with environmental cleanup organizations, MLive.com reported. Algoma spokeswoman Brenda Stenta said in a statement that "the source of the spill has been safely contained." No injuries were reported.
Ford rolls out ‘Pride Bronco’
Drivers will likely spot Ford's newest Bronco before any other car or truck on the road, thanks to trendy SUV's latest paint job: rainbow and gold sparkles. The auto company's latest addition to its lineup celebrates Pride Month this June and plans to showcase the Bronco in the Motor City Pride parade this weekend. It'll also be at the Block party in Ann Arbor on June 25.
A spokesman said the new Bronco was following in the footsteps of last year's "Very Gay Ranger Raptor" which debuted in Europe. It featured a similar paint job. According to the social media post last year, the company's push for more colorful cars came from a troll's comment online.
In the newest vehicle to get a makeover, the Ford Pride Bronco has rainbow streaks moving from the back to the front. Gold glitter cover the rest of the car.
The Bronco is among Ford's newest round of cars and trucks It's pushing out to consumers. A member of vehicles that carry the theme of throw-back, the company has been celebrating the classic SUV's return with several new models. Fans of the vehicle will get to see it in action the weekend of June 11-12.
See more images of the SUV here
James Craig announces write-in campaign for governor
A fiery James Craig appeared defiant on Let It Rip Thursday announcing his bid for the GOP gubernatorial primary this August will continue as a write-in candidate. The former Detroit police chief was among a group of Republican candidates including Perry Johnson disqualified from the primary ballot due to forged signatures.
"I am not giving up, they have robbed me, and robbed Perry and guess what - write-in," he said. "There are so many people that have reached out through my campaign who have said, 'Chief you are a fighter, don't give up, continue to fight.' Guess what? I'm going to."
Craig promised to get to the bottom of it as a former cop, adding that he and Johnson "were hoodwinked." He maintained that his focus on pressing forward has more to do with the voters than himself, adding that the residents of Michigan deserve the best candidates.
Craig said he believes he has the name recognition to be successful, while Johnson cautioned that an effort like that would require about $22 million for a campaign - adding that although Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan once won as a write-in, the race for governor is "a bigger universe."
Watch the special edition of Let It Rip here
Man left in a coma after other driver ran red light in Hazel Park
A Detroit business owner is fighting for his life - after he was hit by a car that ran a red light. Sheldon Hayes will likely spend his 42nd birthday in the hospital next week. His family says he’s still in a coma after a devastating crash last Thursday.
"Me, looking at my uncle, he will never be the same - he won’t be the same after this," said Jasmine Hayes, his niece. "Nothing about him will be the same." The crash happened at Eight Mile and the I-75 Service Drive in Hazel Park.
"As we tried to proceed to the second green light, the car that was on the other side was supposed to have a red light," said Hayes' girlfriend Lexie Griffin. "They totally ran it, like 70 miles per hour, hitting my passenger door, smashing the entire door."
Griffin was in the car when it happened - she suffered head and neck injuries. The impact was so strong, it collapsed the front end of the other vehicle like an accordion. Hayes was nearly ejected from the car — his family says the bulge in the windshield is where he hit his head during the crash. "It really hit the glass really hard and it put him in a very critical state," said Griffin. "And his life is going to be much different than what it was before."
What else we're watching
- The Wold's Biggest Bounce House has arrived in Michigan. The entire setup is in Fraser Friday.
- Whitmer is set to sign a bill that will boost school safety funding for Michigan education districts Friday. The bill allocates $27.5 million, including $10 million for just Oxford High School.
- The developer of the new Hudson's site, Bedrock, is seeking $60 million in tax breaks for the massive new project. The redevelopment of the Woodward Avenue building has been in the works for years. According to Axios, the project has already gotten hundreds of millions in tax breaks for three other projects.
- Ryan Kelley, a candidate for Michigan governor, has been charged with four misdemeanors for his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection. It's the latest development in what's been a chaotic election cycle for the Michigan GOP.
- The golfers who signed onto a new Saudi Arabia-backed golf league in London have been suspended from the PGA. Rocket Mortgage, which had a sponsorship with Bryson DeChambeau has ended the partnership of his decision to participate in the league.
Live on FOX 2
Daily Forecast
It'll be weather on repeat this weekend with sun, 70s, and some stray showers throughout. Plan on much warmer temperatures next week.
COVID-19 was leading cause of US duty-related police deaths in 2020, study finds
A newly published study found that COVID-19 was the leading cause of duty-related deaths among law enforcement officers in the United States in 2020.
According to the data obtained from the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund database for the year 2020, COVID-19 deaths accounted for 62% of the 295 duty-related law enforcement officer deaths.
The study, published in "Policing: An International Journal," also found that 82% of deaths were among Black members of law enforcement and 77% of deaths were among Latinx officers — far higher than the 48% of deaths among White police officers.
The database contained deaths designated as those caused by incidents that occurred while in the line of duty.
To compute the rate of death, researchers from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also obtained data on the total number of law enforcement officers employed in the U.S. for the year 2020 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.