KENT COUNTY, Mich. – The trial in the death of Patrick Lyoya began on Monday and is expected to continue this week.
The trial of Christopher Schurr, who fatally shot the 26-year-old refugee from Congo during a traffic stop on April 4, 2022, began on April 28, 2025.
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Previous coverage: Ex-officer’s murder trial in death of Patrick Lyoya begins
Here are key takeaways on the first day of the trial:
Footage shown in court
In cell phone and body camera video, Schurr and Lyoya are seen struggling for several minutes. Schurr demanded that Lyoya needed to “let go” of the officer’s taser. Schurr fired the fatal shot while Lyoya was on the ground.
Prosecution opening statement
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker gave the opening statement on Monday morning during the trial.
“A single gunshot wound right to the back of the head,” Becker said to the jury during opening statements. “That’s what killed Patrick Lyoya on a cold, wet, rainy day back in April of 2022.
Becker told the jury the barrel of Schurr’s gun was on the back of Lyoya’s head when the shot was fired.
“You’ll see the video here. The defendant that sits before you here today fired that shot that day,” Becker said, pointing to Schurr sitting in the courtroom.
Becker told the jury this case may have more video evidence of the incident than any other case.
“You’ll have cell phone video, body camera video,” Becker said. “You’ll have body camera video, you’ll have in-car video. You’ll have security camera video from across the street.”
Becker walked the jury through the video they’ll see, explaining they’ll see a traffic stop turn into a struggle.
He also told the jury the struggle for Schurr’s taser will be pivotal to the case.
“It’s not a gun; even the taser training manual says it’s an option that doesn’t replace lethal force,” Becker said.
Becker also talked about the witnesses that will be taking the stand, including Lyoya’s friend and passenger in the car when the shooting happened.
Becker said a taser expert will be called on to testify about the range you should use a taser.
Becker claims Schurr was too close to Lyoya to be using the taser.
Central to the prosecution’s case is arguing that a reasonable officer would not have used deadly force in that situation.
“There was no intent, and there was no ability to cause any sort of harm to the officer,” Becker said.
Becker concluded his 20-minute opening by asking the jury to return a guilty verdict.
“A police officer can commit murder; they are no different than anybody else,” Becker said. “They are no different than any other citizen; they can commit murder, and that is what happened in April 2022.
Defense opening statement
The attorney for Christopher Schurr made their opening statement to the jury, arguing this is a case of self-defense.
“He didn’t choose to take a life. He chose to save his own,” defense attorney Mikayla Hamilton said.
Hamilton gave the jury background about Schurr, mentioning his time as a high school athlete, earning a scholarship, and marrying his high school sweetheart.
Hamilton talked about Schurr and his wife getting married on a mission trip in Keya and emphasized their service to others.
The defense then walked the jury through the day of the shooting, starting with Schurr stopping Lyoya for the license plate not matching the vehicle.
Hamilton said that Lyoya disregarded 29 police commands from Schurr.
“Mr. Lyoya continued to escalate the situation by failing to comply with Officer Schurr’s lawful commands,” Hamilton said. “He created to a danger not only to Officer Schurr but to the citizens of Grand Rapids.”
When describing the physical struggle, Hamilton argues that Lyoya was bigger and stronger than Schurr.
She also said Schurr was “flooded with fear” when Lyoya grabbed for his taser.
“If Mr. Lyoya tased him, he could take his firearm and shoot him with his own weapon, which is something officers are trained to consider,” Hamilton said.
The defense said they plan to call several experts to testify that Schurr’s actions were reasonable.
Hamilton concluded her 30-minute opening by asking the jury to return a not-guilty verdict.
First witness
The first witness testified he was hanging out with Lyoya the day before he was killed. He said Lyoya slept on the couch at his house the night before the shooting.
Lyoya told him to wake him up early the next day because he had plans in the morning. He testified he woke up Lyoya and never saw him again.
“My biggest regret is waking him up,” he said.
He could not testify whether or not Lyoya had been drinking the night before.
Second witness
The second witness testified Lyoya was like a brother to him -- a very close friend.
He said he was in Lyoya’s car that morning. He testified the car was making a lot of noise, leading to Lyoya pulling over to check on his car.
The second witness testified he didn’t know a cop was behind them while Lyoya was pulling over until Lyoya stepped out of the car and started talking to an officer.
He recorded the incident between Schurr and Lyoya. He recalled hearing a pop after seeing the officer on top of Lyoya. Schurr then instructed him to step back.
The second witness testified that he, Lyoya, and other friends had been drinking the night before.
Third witness
The third witness testified that he saw police lights out of his window the day of the shooting. He recalled seeing what looked like a traffic stop, which he said was unusual because he had never seen someone get pulled over near his home.
When he got dressed and went outside to his front porch, he saw the altercation between Schurr and Lyoya.
He described the incident as a “tussle” or “wrestling match.”
He said he saw Lyoya was not physically fighting back, but he wasn’t directly listening to Schurr.
The third witness testified that Lyoya tried to avoid the taser when Schurr was trying to use it on him. He recalled Lyoya was pushing down on the taser to prevent it from being tased.
He recalled hearing a pop sound when he went back inside to grab his phone, then heard Schurr say, “Officer-involved shooting.”
“The last six seconds God spared my eyes,” he stated when the defense said he didn’t see all the events transpire.
Fourth witness
A fourth witness testified he lived in the area where the shooting happened. He said what caught his attention to look outside was his dog barking.
He looked outside and saw Schurr and Lyoya running around outside. He said he didn’t think anything of it, but he then heard a gunshot.
The fourth witness then saw Lyoya on the ground with Schurr still standing.
He said he went back to bed after.
He testified he didn’t hear anything about a taser or doesn’t recall as it was so long ago.
Fifth witness
Zachary Batchelor, a detective sergeant with Michigan State Police, testified he was part of the investigation into the shooting, focusing on video analysis.
He received bodycam and dashcam footage, as well as cell phone video of the shooting, from his supervisor to analyze the case.
Batchelor testified took the video files and synchronized them into one video file to show all angles of the event unfolding.
Sixth witness
Jessica Beaudry, a crime scene technician with the Grand Rapids Police Department, testified about her involvement in taking photos of Schurr directly after the shooting.
The photos were taken to document the appearance of what an officer looks like after a shooting. Beaudry testified that Schurr said one of his hands felt sore, and they photographed the hand to document what appeared to be some redness and “minor scratches.”
A close-up of his face was taken to document dirt that made it onto Schurr’s face.
Seventh witness
The seventh witness was Michigan State Police Det. Sgt. Aaron Tubergen, the officer in charge of the investigation.
He said he worked to preserve all possible digital evidence, and his team searched for doorbell cameras, cellphones, or anything that could have documented the shooting. Tubergen testified that they were able to find nearby doorbell footage that captured Lyoya’s death from across the street.
Additionally, footage from Schurr’s time at a police academy with music -- including Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” and Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” played over it.
After that footage was shown, Tubergen was asked if Lyoya grabbing Schurr’s taser was a felony offense. Tubergen said it was.
Eighth witness
Forensic pathologist Stephen Cole, who was the eighth witness, testified he conducted the autopsy on Lyoya and found his blood alcohol level was .29%.
“The main finding is that he had a very high blood alcohol,” he said.
Cole also testified that he did not find gunpowder residue around the bullet wound to the back of Lyoya’s head, saying the gun either fired from greater than three or four feet away or that the muzzle was up against Lyoya’s head and the residue was blown into the wound.
“I believe it is a contact wound,” he said.
Court adjourns
The trial is expected to resume on April 29, 2025.
