The parents of Patrick Lyoya spoke out publicly for the first time Thursday since the Kent County prosecutor announced last week he won’t seek a second trial for the former Grand Rapids police officer who shot Lyoya.
The first case ended in mistrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict on second-degree murder charges against former GRPD officer Christopher Schurr.
Dorcas Lyoya, Patrick’s mother, said she was hopeful a second trial could have ended differently.
“But this decision really broke me down in my heart,” Lyoya said through interpreter Israel Siku Thursday. “It’s still bleeding right now.”
The Lyoya family came to the U.S. as refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dorcas and Patrick’s father Peter Lyoya attended each day of Schurr’s murder trial.
They spoke at a press conference in Detroit on Thursday organized by attorney Ven Johnson, who represents the family in a separate civil lawsuit against Schurr.
Peter Lyoya said he felt the racial makeup of the jury in the murder trial affected its outcome. The pool of 12 jurors appeared to be mostly white. One juror - the foreperson - identified herself as biracial, with a Black and a white parent. Another juror identified as an immigrant from Venezuela.
“I realize that we’re Black in this country,” Peter Lyoya said through the interpreter, Siku. “We are not important to the justice. We are not important to the justice.”
Both parents said they would continue to fight for justice for their son as the civil trial moves forward against Schurr.
Christopher Schurr shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head, killing him instantly, during a traffic stop more than three years ago. Schurr testified in the trial that he was exhausted from struggling with Lyoya as Lyoya tried to flee. Then he became afraid for his life after Lyoya gained control of his taser. Schurr said that, though he was on top of Lyoya, he felt Lyoya start to turn toward him with the taser in his hand. Schurr told jurors he was afraid that if he didn’t fire his gun at that moment, Lyoya could have tased him, taken his gun and shot him with it.
Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker said jurors were initially split on the verdict, but ended up with 10 in favor of acquitting Schurr on the murder charge, and two holding out for a conviction. Becker said those numbers played into his decision not to try the case again.
