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Civil lawsuit filed against ex-GRPD officer Schurr to proceed

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The civil lawsuit filed by the family of Patrick Lyoya against former Grand Rapids Police Officer Christopher Schurr will move forward.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati rejected an argument this week from Schurr's attorneys that actions he took while on duty were protected by qualified immunity.

"We're very happy that the Court of Appeals agreed with us," said Chris Desmond, the chief appellate attorney at Ven Johnson Law - the firm that represents the Lyoya family in the case.

The 26-year-old Lyoya tried to run away from a traffic stop in April 2022 in Grand Rapids. When Schurr caught up to him, bodycam video showed that Lyoya attempted to disarm a Taser from Schurr's possession. They got into a scuffle on the ground. Schurr then fatally shot him. Lyoya's family said his civil rights were violated and excessive force was used.

"We talk about how the video does not demonstrate that Patrick Lyoya was acting aggressively; that he attempted to injure Schurr on the day in question. That he had any intent to utilize the Taser that Schurr has been claiming throughout this case," Desmond said.

He added that the video evidence Schurr was relying on does not disprove the evidence submitted by the Lyoya family's attorneys in their complaint.

In the unrelated criminal case, Schurr is charged with second-degree murder and has appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court to prevent having to stand trial. His lawyers say he was acting in self-defense because Lyoya tried to grab Schurr's stun gun.

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