Cop Pleads Not Guilty in Killing of Unarmed Black Man

Christopher Schurr, the white Grand Rapids police officer who shot and killed a 26-year-old unarmed Black man in the back of the head in April, pleaded not guilty at his virtual arraignment on Friday. The cop’s bond was set at $100,000 due to the fact that he turned himself into authorities and had no previous run-ins with the law, according to local News Channel 3. The previous day, Kent County District Attorney Christopher Becker announced that Schurr was charged with one count of second-degree murder. At the time, family lawyer Benjamin Crump lauded the charge as a “crucial step in the right direction.” Patrick Lyoya, a Congolese refugee fleeing war, was killed by Schurr following a traffic stop. Police alleged Lyoya was pulled over because the vehicle’s license plate did not match the car Lyoya was driving. Local and national outrage has followed the Lyoya family’s case, following the release of witness and body-camera footage that showed Schurr shooting Lyoya in the head while sitting on top of him. Civil rights attorney Ven Johnson said the family reacted to yesterday’s news with “mixed emotions.” The case has been a constant reminder of their son’s death, Johnson told The Daily Beast. “They feel better that charges have been filed and now we are moving forward,” he said. “My client took solace in the fact that Schurr had to turn himself in and was going to be held in jail until the hearing today.”

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