Ex-Michigan cop to face murder trial in killing of Black man

By ED WHITE
Associated Press

A former Michigan police officer who shot a Black motorist in the back of the head will stand trial for second-degree murder. That’s the decision a judge in Grand Rapids, Michigan, announced Monday morning. Patrick Lyoya was shot at point-blank range last April. The 26-year-old briefly ran after a traffic stop then grappled with Christopher Schurr across a front lawn before the white officer shot him. The confrontation was recorded on video by a man who was a passenger in Lyoya’s car. Judge Nicholas Ayoub heard testimony and watched the video last week. The judge only had to find probable cause to send the case to trial, a low standard of evidence at this stage. Schurr’s attorney says Lyoya was killed in self-defense.