GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — An appeal from Christopher Schurr in a lawsuit filed against him by the family of Patrick Lyoya will not be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
On Monday, the nation's highest court denied the petition, which sought its determination on whether Schurr deserved qualified immunity in the civil case.
A former officer for the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD), Schurr is criminally charged in the death of Patrick Lyoya, a black motorist whom he fatally shot during a traffic stop in April 2022.
READ MORE: Jury selection to resume on Wednesday after full day in court
The civil lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Lyoya family by attorney Ven Johnson, claims Lyoya's Fourth Amendment rights were violated by Schurr's excessive force, a product of poor police training.
At the time of its filing in December 2022, the City of Grand Rapids was also named as a defendant, though U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney later ruled the connection between GRPD's training and Schurr's actions was not proven, removing the city from the suit.
Judge Maloney also ruled Schurr was not necessarily protected by qualified immunity.
Schurr's legal team appealed this decision to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which denied its petition in September 2024, leading to the most recent petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, which was also denied.
Jury selection in the criminal trial of Christopher Schurr is set to continue on Wednesday, with testimony scheduled to begin on Monday, April 28.
