Jury Deadlocked in Michigan Police Officer’s Murder Trial: Mistrial Declared in Fatal Shooting of Patrick Lyoya
Grand Rapids, MI – A Michigan jury declared itself deadlocked on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in the highly anticipated trial of former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr, who faced charges related to the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya during a traffic stop in April 2022. After four days of deliberation, Kent County Circuit Court Judge Christina Mims declared a mistrial, noting that the jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Schurr, 36, had been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the shooting death of Lyoya, a Black man, during a confrontation following a traffic stop over a license plate violation. The incident, which sparked protests and heightened racial tensions across Michigan, was captured on multiple cameras, including Schurr’s body camera, a bystander’s cellphone, and a nearby doorbell security system.
The Shooting Incident
On the morning of April 4, 2022, Schurr, who was working as a police officer with the Grand Rapids Police Department, initiated a traffic stop on Lyoya’s vehicle in a residential neighborhood in Grand Rapids. Schurr had reportedly pulled over Lyoya because the license plate on his car was registered to a different vehicle.
The situation escalated quickly. After a brief exchange, Lyoya fled on foot, leading to a foot chase through a nearby yard. The encounter ultimately culminated in a struggle between Schurr and Lyoya. During the struggle, Lyoya allegedly grabbed Schurr’s taser, which led Schurr to fire his weapon. The single shot struck Lyoya in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Schurr later testified in court that he feared for his life, asserting that he had no other option but to shoot as Lyoya had taken control of his stun gun.
“I believe if I didn’t do what I did when I did it, I wouldn’t be here today,” Schurr told the jury, speaking publicly for the first time about the incident.
Mistrial and Reactions
After four days of deliberations, the jury informed the court that it was deadlocked, prompting Judge Mims to declare a mistrial. Prosecutor Chris Becker, who has been handling the case, expressed that he was “not surprised” by the outcome. He described the case as “difficult,” noting the complex factors involved, including the use of force by a law enforcement officer, the timing of the shooting, and the available video evidence.
“We will continue to fight until we get true justice for Patrick,” said Peter Lyoya, Patrick’s father, during a news conference shortly after the mistrial was declared. The Lyoya family expressed deep disappointment with the jury’s inability to reach a verdict and urged prosecutors to retry the case, emphasizing their unwavering commitment to seeking justice for their son.
Matthew Borgula, the defense attorney representing Schurr, claimed that the case should not be retried. According to Borgula, he had spoken to some jurors after the trial ended, and they revealed that the jury was “overwhelmingly in favor of acquittal,” though there were a few “holdouts” on the other side of the deliberation.
While Borgula and the defense team were advocating for a dismissal, the prosecution remains committed to investigating whether a retrial would be in the best interest of justice. Prosecutor Chris Becker indicated that he had spoken with some of the jurors but declined to share specific details regarding their deliberations.
Racial and Social Implications
Patrick Lyoya’s death has been one of the most widely discussed incidents in a broader national conversation about police violence and racial disparities in law enforcement. In the wake of Lyoya’s death, protests erupted across Michigan, with demonstrators calling for justice and an end to police misconduct, echoing the broader movement ignited by the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The case quickly drew attention due to the racial dynamics involved: Schurr, a white officer, shot Lyoya, a Black man, under controversial circumstances.
The release of the video footage from multiple cameras brought intense scrutiny to the shooting. The body cam footage, which captured the final moments of the struggle, has been widely shared and analyzed, leading to widespread public debate about whether Schurr’s actions were justified, or if his use of deadly force was disproportionate to the threat posed by Lyoya.
The Lyoya family and their supporters have continually emphasized the need for accountability in cases like this, calling for transparency in police actions and demanding that officers be held to the same standards as civilians when it comes to the use of deadly force.
Moving Forward
The mistrial in Schurr’s case leaves open the possibility of a retrial, but questions remain about the next steps in this high-profile case. Prosecutor Chris Becker has not yet decided whether to move forward with another trial. He faces the difficult decision of whether to re-present the case to a new jury or to take a different course of action, considering the challenges posed by the deadlocked deliberations.
For the Lyoya family, the fight for justice is far from over. They have vowed to continue seeking accountability, with Patrick’s father, Peter Lyoya, pledging to keep fighting until “true justice” is served. Meanwhile, the broader community will undoubtedly continue to watch this case closely, as it continues to represent the complex and evolving conversation surrounding police use of force, race, and accountability.
As the legal process unfolds, the community, activists, and policymakers are left grappling with the larger question: What does justice look like in cases of police-involved deaths, and how can trust be rebuilt between law enforcement and the communities they serve?
This case remains under investigation, and further updates are expected to be released in the coming weeks as the prosecutor’s office evaluates its next steps.