Grand Rapids Police Name Cop Who Killed Patrick Lyoya
The Grand Rapids Police Department has named the officer who killed Patrick Lyoya after FOIA requests demanding the information be released.
The officer who killed Patrick Lyoya by shooting him in the back of the head following a struggle was Officer Christopher Schurr.
This confirms many theories online that this was the officer who killed Lyoya.
Officer Christopher Schurr was named as the cop who shot and killed Patrick Lyoya
The revelation was made just days after Lyoya's funeral, where civil rights activist Al Sharpton used his eulogy to implore city officials to name the officer.
Statement on who killed Patrick Lyoya by Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom
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.
Ven Johnson's Response To Grand Rapids Police Department
Attorney Ven Johnson, who is representing Lyoya’s family along with attorney Ben Crump, is reacting to the news and has released the following statement:
An intentional three-week delay in releasing the name of the involved officer, which they clearly knew at the moment of the shooting, is offensive and the exact opposite of being ‘transparent’. Once again, we see the Grand Rapids Police Department taking care of its own at the expense of the family’s mental health and well-being.
FOIA Requests Prompt Media Release On Who Killed Patrick Lyoya
The release of the name contradicts the Chief's earlier statement saying that the officer would not be named unless charges were filed.
The FOIA requests made by media and members of the public may have made this option unsustainable and possibly even illegal.
***NSFW WARNING: LANGUAGE - VIOLENCE - TRAUMA***
Patrick Lyoya Videos Released By Grand Rapids
The city has released footage of the fatal shooting. The footage is culled from body camera, in-car camera, a cell phone, and a home surveillance system.
Watch the Patrick Lyoya Video from the City Of Grand Rapids Below
According to the GRPD, the video is unedited but parts of the video have been "redacted/blurred" for privacy reasons.
Also according to the GRPD, the audio from the video is entirely unaltered.
The footage shows the officer engaging Lyoya in a short struggle while wrestling with the suspect; when he appears to have Lyoya on the ground, the officer draws his firearm and shoots Lyoya in the back of the head.
ABC's of Grand Rapids
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