The cop who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head during an April 4 traffic stop in Michigan has been identified as Christopher Schurr. After the release of video footage by GRPD, Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said he wouldn’t reveal the officer’s name unless he was charged with a crime. Earlier today, Winstrom shared the following statement:
“In the interest of transparency, to reduce on-going speculation, and to avoid any further confusion, I am confirming the name already publicly circulating – Christopher Schurr – as the officer involved in the April 4 Officer-Involved Shooting. Beginning this week, as required by law, the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) will be releasing documents in response to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act relative to this incident. Any future requests for documents must also be made through a FOIA request and will be provided via the FOIA process as legally allowable.
Officer Schurr remains on administrative leave, stripped of his police powers, until the conclusion of the Michigan State Police investigation into potential criminal charges and the completion of GRPD’s Internal Affairs investigation to determine whether all applicable departmental polices were followed.”
A Congo native, Lyoya, 26, was shot by the white officer during their interaction. The video shows that there was a struggle in which Lyoya was apparently grabbing Schurr’s taser. Schurr, who used the taser twice and was on top of Lyoya as the two struggled, shot him in the back of the head. An independent autopsy commissioned by Lyoya’s family’s attorneys confirmed that Lyoya’s cause of death was a shot in the back of the head.