Officer who shot man in Michigan identified

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A Michigan police chief reversed course Monday and publicly identified the officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head during an April 4 traffic stop.

The Grand Rapids officer is Christopher Schurr, Chief Eric Winstrom said.

Lyoya, 26, a Black man and native of Congo, was killed after a struggle with the white officer.

“In the interest of transparency, to reduce ongoing speculation, and to avoid any further confusion, I am confirming the name already publicly circulating – Christopher Schurr – as the officer involved in the April 4 officer-involved shooting,” Winstrom said in a statement.

The Associated Press left a phone message seeking comment from Schurr, who remains off the job while state police investigate the shooting.

Winstrom’s announcement was a reversal. In the aftermath of the shooting and the release of video, Winstrom said he would withhold the officer’s name unless he was charged with a crime. It was described as a longstanding practice that applied to the public as well as city employees.

Lyoya’s family and Black leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, repeatedly called for release of the name.

“We want his name!” Sharpton shouted at Lyoya’s funeral on Friday, saying authorities cannot set a precedent of withholding the names of officers who kill people unless the officer is charged.

Lyoya, who was unarmed, was face down on the ground when he was shot. Schurr was on top of him and can be heard on video demanding that he take his hand off the officer’s Taser.

A forensic pathologist who conducted an autopsy at the family’s request said the gun was pressed to Lyoya’s head when he was shot.

Ven Johnson, an attorney for the family, said it’s important that Lyoya’s parents now know Schurr’s name, though he scoffed at the police chief ’s use of “transparency.”

“It’s not transparent when you hide something for three weeks. It’s quite the opposite,” Johnson said. “It’s cops taking care of the cops instead of treating it like a normal investigation.”

DANIEL SHULAR/THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS VIA AP A protester drums in Grand Rapids, Mich., Saturday during a march organized in response to the death of Patrick Lyoya.