police killings
Michigan officer charged with second-degree murder in fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya
The Grand Rapids, Michigan, police officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya during a traffic stop was charged on Thursday with one count of second-degree murder, reports The New York Times.
Officer Christopher Schurr, who is white, shot Lyoya, who is Black, after pulling him over in April for a license plate violation. Lyoya's killing sparked protests in Grand Rapids, where 18 percent of residents are Black.
Lyoya was a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and he immigrated to the U.S. "to pursue the American dream and provide a better and safer life for himself and his family," according to Ben Crump, a lawyer for Lyoya's family. The Associated Press previously reported that Lyoya, "who was unarmed, was face down on the ground when he was shot in the back of the head."
Kent County prosecuting attorney Christopher Becker said Schurr acted unreasonably during the traffic stop, per the Times. Becker concluded the officer "intended to kill and was not acting in self-defense," writes The Washington Post. Schurr turned himself in and will be arraigned Friday.