The trial against former GRPD officer Christopher Schurr, accused of second-degree murder, lasted for nearly nine days.
On Tuesday, the jury reported that they were deadlocked and unable to reach consensus, but Kent County Circuit Court Judge Christina Mims instructed them to continue working. Around 10 a.m. on Thursday, Mims finally declared a mistrial.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker called it a difficult case and praised the jury’s dedication.
“They paid attention and took this case seriously, and they could not reach a decision,’’ he said during a press conference that was live streamed on WOODTV8. “What happened today is not what anybody expected or wanted.”
Shurr’s defense attorney Matthew Borgula said the jury was overwhelmingly in favor of acquittal, but there were “holdouts” on the other side.
He added that he felt too much of the trial was spent on examining evidence “we did not feel was relevant,” likely referring to the lengthy portion of the trial spent examining Shurr’s taser, the struggle over which escalated a routine traffic stop into Lyoya’s death.
He also suggested Mims, acting on personal biases, may have communicated with the jury through her facial expressions.
“It should not be about policies, but it became that,” he said.
In a concurrent livestream, Ven Johnson, the Lyoya family’s attorney, blamed officer-created jeopardy for the escalation.
“When you create a danger by doing something against your training, you can’t turn around and blame Patrick,” said Jones.
Patrick’s Lyoya father added his appreciation for those that supported him during the process.
“On behalf of myself and my family, I want to say thank you to the community… don’t give up, keep fighting until we get justice for Patrick,” he said.
Jones said the mistrial was a “mixed bag,” and that he planned to pursue a civil retrial “without any further delays.”
Becker declined to announce his plans moving forward, saying he first wanted to follow up with jurors and “take a look at everything” before making a decision “somewhere down the road.”
When asked about Shurr’s reaction to the outcome, Borgula said, “He’s been living with this for three years. He obviously wanted some resolution. I think he… felt that the jury took the time to deliberate and he appreciates that. He obviously wanted it to be done, but, you know, it’s a hung jury.”
A statement from the city of Grand Rapids put out after the verdict read, “We acknowledge the considerable time and effort the jurors dedicated to carefully consider the evidence and testimony presented… we understand that the inability to reach a verdict brings continued uncertainty and pain.”
The statement continued, highlighting its commitment to “maintaining peace and safety throughout Grand Rapids,” and offered mental health support from licensed therapists at the Wisdom Center on Thursday and Friday for those affected by the outcome.
