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Grand Rapids Police Officer Christopher Schurr, who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head April 4, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced Thursday.
Second-degree murder is a felony offense. If convicted, Schurr could face a lifelong prison sentence with the possibility of parole.
Becker said the second-degree murder charge was the most severe possible, given the evidence he reviewed — there was not any indication of premeditation from Schurr, he said, which prevented any first-degree murder charge.
“I wouldn’t charge it if I didn’t think I could prove it,” Becker told media gathered in the Michigan State Police precinct just northwest of Grand Rapids.
Lyoya, who was 26 at the time of his shooting, was a Congolese refugee. Read more.
