Watch again: prosecutor announces charges in shooting of Patrick Lyoya
Kent County Prosecutor charges Grand Rapids officer with murder in death of Patrick Lyoya
Patrick Lyoya was shot in the back of the head following a traffic stop in Grand Rapids in April. After two months of investigation, the Kent County Prosecutor announced the officer responsible has been charged with second degree murder.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Kent County, Michigan, prosecutor announced his decision on Wednesday to file second degree murder charges against the officer who killed Patrick Lyoya.
Prosecutor Chris Becker announced the charges during a 3 p.m. press conference after more than two months of investigation by his office and the Michigan State Police. We'll stream the announcement on this page when it starts at 3 p.m. ET
Becker has had the case for nearly two months and has been investigating the actions of Grand Rapids Police Officer Christopher Schurr. Video released by Grand Rapids Police showed Schurr struggling with Lyoya on April 4 during a traffic stop. It ultimately ended with Schurr shooting Lyoya in the back of the head.
Patrick Lyoya shot to death by Grand Rapids Police - here's what the video showed
FOX 2's Charlie Langton weighed in on the investigation and said it's really going to come down to whether it was justified.
"I think the issue in the case is really whether or not the officer was justified in using deadly force interview. We know the facts of this case, they're tragic facts," Langton said.
Schurr shot Lyoya in the back of the head during the struggle after pulling him over due a license plate issue. The plate on the car Lyoya was driving did not match the vehicle.
That offense is a misdemeanor, which Langton said Schurr chasing Lyoya may be in violation of the department's policy. Langton said there is pressure on bringing charges against the officer but the prosecutor's office must his discretion.
"There's a lot of political pressure to bring charges against this officer. And whether or not the prosecutor will do that, remains to be seen," he said. "There's a lot of discretion goes into this. The officer decided that his life was at in jeopardy, and then he shot in the back of his head."
On April 13, Grand Rapids Police released graphic video that showed the interaction between Lyoya and Schurr. Lyoya, who immigrated to the U.S. from Congo with his family, appeared to be confused and then started to run from the officer.
During the fight, Schurr deployed his Taser twice with no effect and Lyoya allegedly tried grabbing for it. The officer screamed multiple times to drop the Taser as he fought to gain control of Lyoya before he ultimately shot him.
In a cell phone video recorded by the passenger in Lyoya's car, the officer is seen on top of Lyoya as he is face down. The officer tells him to drop the Taser and reaches to his belt for his gun.
Read: Here's what the Patrick Lyoya shooting videos showed
Lyoya tries to stand up with the officer on his back. That's when the officer pulls out his gun and fires it one time, hitting him in the back of the head and killing him instantly.