Grand Rapids protest calls for justice after Schurr won’t be retried

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Above the noise of protesters chanting and passing cars honking in support, Michael Sterling Sr. choked back tears talking about his son.

Sterling’s son, Samuel, was struck and killed last year by a Michigan State Police trooper vehicle that was pursuing him.

A protest in Grand Rapids Thursday, May 22, focused on calling for justice for the family of Patrick Lyoya, a Black man who was shot and killed in 2022 by a Grand Rapids police officer. The rally also highlighted others affected by police brutality, including the families of Sterling and Riley Doggett.

“It’s important to be here for Patrick’s family because we’re going through the same thing,” Michael Sterling said. “I feel that the whole city should be here.”

About 75 people showed up for the rally outside the Kent County Courthouse downtown Grand Rapids.

The rally followed the announcement that former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr will not be retried for second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Black motorist Patrick Lyoya.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker issued his decision Thursday after jurors earlier this month failed to reach a unanimous verdict, resulting in a mistrial.

Schurr, 34, a seven-year Grand Rapids police officer, stopped Lyoya’s car on April 4, 2022, on the city’s Southeast Side.

He shot Lyoya in the back of his head during a lengthy struggle after Lyoya gained control of Schurr’s Taser.

Lyoya, 26, was a Congolese refugee.

Schurr, 34, who is white, testified that he stopped Lyoya because the license plate did not belong to the car he was driving.

Lyoya got out of his vehicle, ignoring Schurr’s orders, before he shoved the officer and tried to flee.

There was a 2½-minute struggle for control of the Taser. Lyoya was face down on the ground, trying to get up with Schurr on his back, when he was shot in the back of his head.

The former police officer said he acted in self-defense because he believed Lyoya was pointing the Taser at him.

The prosecution said that Lyoya, who was highly intoxicated, only tried to get away from the officer, not harm him.

“If (Tasers) are so dangerous, why are they so randomly using them on us?” questioned Robert Womack, Kent County Commissioner, during Thursday night’s rally. “A badge is not a license to kill.”

Womack said he met with the Lyoya family and their attorneys Thursday to talk about next steps, which includes focusing more on the active civil case the family has against Schurr.

The county commissioner encouraged protestors to keep fighting for change in the police system by voicing their opinions at Grand Rapids City Commission meetings.

Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand was seen outside the protest for about 15 minutes.

Other activists called for people to write letters to their politicians and call on their community leaders, like pastors.

Lyoya’s family has been joined by the Grand Rapids chapter of the NAACP, the Urban League of West Michigan and Grand Rapids Association of Pastors in calling for Schurr to be retried.

Michael Sterling, whose son’s case is now in federal court, said a protest could be held the same way in Lansing.

Sterling described his son, Samuel, who played football and wrestling, as a “good kid that made his mistakes.”

“He was a good, responsible kid, God-fearing kid - he made his mistakes but that’s not cause for him to be murdered,” Sterling said. “It’s just unbelievable to me that he’s gone.”

A community gathering on what happens next is planned for next week Thursday, May 29, at 6 p.m. The event is now slated to be held at the Boston Square Neighborhood Association, but may be relocated due to capacity. Watch Womack’s Facebook page for updates.

There is also a rally and vigil being planned to mark the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death by a police officer in Minneapolis. That event is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, May 25 at Joe Taylor Park, 1031 Baxter St SE.

For more of MLive’s coverage on the Schurr/Lyoya case, visit here.