GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It's been more than two months since Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr killed Patrick Lyoya during a traffic stop in Grand Rapids.
Following months of rallies and calls for justice, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker is set to announce his decision during a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Since Lyoya was killed, there’s been pressure from both his family and the community for charges to be filed against Schurr.
Thursday morning's Board of Commissioners meeting started with an invocation by Kent County Commissioner Robert Womack and Israel Siku, as well as the Lyoya family pastor, praying for peace in Grand Rapids.
“We cannot control the emotion of the people. We don't know what their reaction will be because you know, they say that the crowd doesn't think, so we don't know how they will be reacting," Siku said. "It's up to Becker now to make a good decision and to see what he can do to prevent chaos in the city."
Womack said, in his opinion, there should be charges.
“I'm just hoping that people who have a chance to institute police reform, understand that it shouldn't have taken a life, for them to understand what protesters in a community have been telling them for the last couple of decades, about the need for police reform and de-escalation training, and social workers and health workers and psychological evaluations for our police for the pressure they go under," Womack said. "And it should not have taken the life of Patrick Lyoya to get us to this point."
Womack is joining the Lyoya family in Detroit to watch the press conference.
The decision on charges will be announced during a news conference at 3 p.m. 13 ON YOUR SIDE will carry the conference on-air and online.
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