Grand Rapids Police Officer Charged With Second-Degree Murder In Fatal Shooting Of Patrick Lyoya

(CBS DETROIT) -- A Grand Rapids police officer is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced Thursday.

Lyoya, 26, was on the ground when he was shot and killed by officer Christopher Schurr on April 4.

In a news conference, Becker says the charge is punishable by life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Becker says Schurr has turned himself in and an arraignment is expected to take place on Friday.

"Taken everything I've reviewed in this case, I believe there's sufficient basis to proceed on the single count of second-degree murder," Becker said in the news conference.

Attorney Ven Johnson said the family learned of the murder charge minutes before Becker made the announcement.

"You will not see any celebrations on behalf of the family," Johnson said.

In a statement, attorney Ben Crump says the decision to charge Schurr is "a crucial step in the right direction."

Video of the incident, including footage from a bystander, was released by the Grand Rapids Police Department on April 13.

Schurr told Lyoya that he stopped his car because the license plate didn't match the vehicle. Roughly a minute into the stop, Lyoya began to run after he was asked to produce a driver's license.

Schurr caught him quickly, and the two struggled across a front lawn. The officer demanded that Lyoya "let go" of Schurr's Taser before he fired the fatal shot.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following statement:

"At the Department of Attorney General, we understand the exceptional resources needed to evaluate police-involved shooting deaths and I commend Prosecutor Becker, his team and the Michigan State Police for the exhaustive review conducted these last two months. We must now respect the judicial process and allow the facts of the case to be presented in court."

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