GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Despite already being fired, former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr’s fatal use of force against Patrick Lyoya is still the focus of an ongoing Internal Affairs investigation.
No timeline for completion of the investigation into the April 4 incident where Schurr shot and killed Lyoya was provided by police. The killing occurred during a traffic stop in Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids police spokesperson Jennifer Kalczuk told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press by email that the investigation by the department’s Internal Affairs Unit into Schurr’s use of force was opened immediately after the incident and remains ongoing.
Schurr was charged June 9 with second-degree murder in Lyoya’s death and was subsequently fired by Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington.
The department’s Internal Affairs Unit investigates allegations of wrongdoing or policy violations by police officers after a person files a complaint with the unit.
Kalczuk did not give an estimated timeline for the completion of the IAU investigation nor did she say how, if in any way, the purpose of the investigation changes now that Schurr has been fired.
Due to the ongoing criminal case against Schurr and the potential for a civil lawsuit against the city stemming from Lyoya’s death, Kalczuk said GRPD will not be providing any further comment about the former officer at this time.
Related: Prosecutor says he followed the facts in charging officer with murder in Patrick Lyoya case
She said both Police Chief Eric Winstrom and Brandon Davis, the city’s director of Oversight and Public Accountability, have publicly committed to review all aspects of the April 4 killing.
That review comes on top of a department-wide review Winstrom pledged to conduct when he started as chief in March.
“Chief Winstrom has also publicly stated many times that when he took over as chief in March, a comprehensive review of all departmental policies, procedures and training was a priority for him,” Kalczuk said. “That work builds on a review process that began prior to his arrival and continues at this time.”
The killing happened during an April 4 traffic stop on Nelson Avenue SE, north of Griggs Street.
Schurr told Lyoya, a 26-year-old Democratic Republic of Congo immigrant, that his license plate did not belong to the vehicle he was driving.
Lyoya tried to run from the scene but Schurr caught him before the two fought over the officer’s Taser.
Lyoya, who was facedown, appeared to be trying to get up, with Schurr on top of him, when he was shot in the back of his head.
Protesters and others called for murder charges, while Schurr’s supporters blamed Lyoya for the violent encounter by resisting the officer and trying to get his Taser.
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