After demands of transparency by the family and Black activists, the officer who shot and killed Patrick Lyoya during a traffic stop was named on Monday (April 25).
Michigan police chief Eric Winstrom said Grand Rapids officer Christopher Schurr pulled the trigger against Lyoya on April 4. An autopsy released last week confirmed that the unarmed 26-year-old was shot in the back of his head while pinned face down to the ground.
“In the interest of transparency, to reduce ongoing speculation, and to avoid any further confusion, I am confirming the name already publicly circulating — Christopher Schurr — as the officer involved in the April 4 officer-involved shooting,” Winstrom said in a statement.
This follows Winstrom’s previous refusal to identify the cop after the shooting footage was released. The Michigan police chief said he wouldn’t name the officer unless he was charged with a crime — a standard practice that applies to public and city employees, according to Winstrom.
On Friday (April 22), Reverend Al Sharpton demanded authorities stop withholding the identity of officers who murder people at Lyoya’s funeral.
“Every time a young Black man or woman is arrested in this town, you put their name all over the news. Every time we’re suspected of something, you put our name out there,” Sharpton said. How dare you hold the name of a man that killed this man? We want his name!”
After facing backlash for not releasing Schurr’s name sooner, Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington said in a statement, “Police reform requires evaluating many long-standing practices to ensure our actions are consistent with the best interests of the community and the individuals involved.”
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