A judge Friday delayed former Grand Rapids Police Officer Christopher Schurr’s preliminary hearing for at least another month, after defense lawyers argued the team needed more time to prepare.
Christopher Schurr has been charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya during a traffic stop.
A preliminary hearing had been set for August 30th; however, attorney Matthew Borgula told 61st Circuit Court Judge Nicholas Ayoub Friday that the defense team needed time to review the Grand Rapids Police Department’s policies and procedures, specifically around taser training and excessive force training.
Documents, the defense argued, that could be key to proving Schurr’s innocence.
“We think that the documents are critical,” Borgula said. “We think that they are relevant to whether or not the officer’s actions were consistent with his training, and we think they are relevant to whether or not Officer Schurr was authorized to use deadly force when trying to apprehend a fleeing felon.”
Judge Ayoub Friday granted the request, and set a status conference for Sept. 23rd to discuss whether the prosecutor’s office and defense team were both ready to move forward.
Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker did not argue against the adjournment Friday; however, he did say that the court owed a speedy trial to Patrick Lyoya’s family.