DETROIT — Every time someone implies Patrick Lyoya acted in a way that made him deserve to be shot in the back of the head by a Grand Rapids police officer, his dad, Peter Lyoya, feels like he’s being stabbed in the heart.

It’s been just over three years since former Officer Christopher Schurr pulled 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya over for a traffic stop, chased him and ultimately shot him in the back of the head, killing him. Schurr is charged with second-degree murder in connection with Patrick Lyoya’s death, and his trial is set to begin April 28 in Kent County Circuit Court, with jury selection starting Tuesday.

“It's like they're putting again, a knife in my heart because of what has happened,” Patrick Lyoya said Tuesday, speaking through translator Israel Siku. “Every time when they postpone this, it is like they're putting a knife in (my) heart. It’s very, very hard for us, because even though we are fighting the government, the justice is taking too long.”

Lyoya said he wants to see Schurr put behind bars, as a criminal should be.

During the traffic stop in April 2022, Schurr asked Lyoya for his license and asked if he spoke English. Lyoya answered he did speak English and questioned why Schurr needed his license. Schurr told Lyoya his car wasn't registered. Lyoya later got out of his car and ran away as Schurr chased him. The two wrestled and struggled over Schurr's Taser before Schurr shot Lyoya in the back of the head as he was face down on the ground.

The city of Grand Rapids fired Schurr in June 2022 and Schurr didn't contest it.

Schurr’s attorney, Matt Borgula, said he is sure Schurr will be vindicated at trial and found not guilty.

"The evidence is clear that he acted in self-defense consistent with his training," Borgula said. "The issue is whether an objectively reasonable officer in officer Schurr’s situation could've believed he was in fear of harm or death."

But the Lyoya family's civil attorney, Ven Johnson, said an officer can only use deadly force if they have the reasonable belief that his life is in imminent danger. He does not believe this was the case for Schurr, he said. The Lyoya family filed a $100 million federal lawsuit against the city of Grand Rapids and Schurr in 2022, accusing them of multiple civil rights violations. Grand Rapids was later dismissed from the case.

"To see somebody shot from behind in the head when they did not have a gun and were not threatening imminently the life of an officer, and for there to be anything other than a guilty verdict is going to be, I think, a tough pill to swallow," Johnson said.

Peter Lyoya said he and his family will fight to get justice for Patrick, who is the oldest of six children in the Lyoya family. The Lyoyas immigrated to the U.S. from Congo in 2014 to escape the war-torn country.

“My heart is still bleeding, the family still hurting, and I don't know how long it's gonna take for us to be healed,” Lyoya said. “But one thing I do know. We will fight until we get justice, will fight until the end.”

With Patrick’s death came the loss of the future patriarch of the Lyoya family, Peter said. He and his wife Dorcas raised Patrick to someday be the head of the family, he said, and there’s a “deep emptiness” now that Patrick is gone.

"We still remember about Patrick. We still mourning the death of Patrick," Lyoya said. "People need to know how impactful this thing would be if Schurr walks free. We still bleeding, and we are waiting for that (trial) day to bring it to light, to bring it again, to tell people that this is what Schurr did, to remind and to refresh the memory."

"I know that my son died because of the color of his skin," Lyoya said. "That's why Patrick died. Because if Patrick was white, I guarantee you 100% that Patrick was not be dead.

"I'm asking just for justice for Patrick," Lyoya said. "That is it. Nothing else. Just justice for Patrick."

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