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Former GRPD Officer Christopher Schurr's October trial date adjourned

Joe Gratz
/
Creative Commons

A trial date for former Grand Rapids Police Officer Christopher Schurr has been adjourned. The decision was announced Tuesday by the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.

Schurr has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Patrick Lyoya, a Black Congolese immigrant. Schurr is accused of shooting and killing Lyoya during a traffic stop in April 2022.

Schurr was scheduled to stand trial on Oct. 24 of this year. However, the 17th Circuit Court moved to adjourn the trial on July 11 "due to ongoing legal proceedings before the Michigan Court of Appeals.”

The Michigan Court of Appeals granted Schurr's legal team's request for an appeal on April 13, but the higher court has not set a date to review the case.

"We respect the judicial process, and we understand the community has a vested interest in the progress of this case”, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said in a statement.

"However, this adjournment was not a surprise given the status of the case in the Court of Appeals as it simply would not be possible to keep the dates set by the 17th Circuit Court as we await a date to be set for oral argument with the higher court reviewing the case."

Meanwhile, the Lyoya family has publicly stated they are growing increasingly frustrated with the prosecutor’s office as the trial has been postponed multiple times.