Judge Allows Jury Trial Over Officer's 2022 Shooting of Patrick Lyoya

A federal judge has cleared the way for a civil trial to determine whether a Grand Rapids police officer violated Patrick Lyoya’s constitutional rights when he was shot in the head.

In a Detroit courtroom, U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney announced that a jury will hear whether former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr infringed on Patrick Lyoya’s Fourth Amendment rights by shooting him in the back of the head. The ruling follows a 2025 criminal trial in Kent County where a second-degree murder charge against Schurr was dismissed after a deadlocked jury. Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese immigrant, was killed in 2022 after a traffic stop, foot chase, and a two-minute struggle that left him restrained on the ground.

Schurr claims he acted in self-defense, alleging Lyoya had control of his Taser, a narrative the judge said conflicts with the video evidence. The family’s lawyer, Ven Johnson, said the court’s decision lets the core civil rights claims move forward, while Schurr’s attorneys argue he is entitled to immunity because the force used was objectively reasonable. A request for comment was left with Schurr’s lawyer.