GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Greater Grand Rapids Branch of the NAACP say the charges filed against Officer Christopher Schurr in the death of Patrick Lyoya are a step in the right direction.
Now, they're looking ahead to fighting in the court system to ensure there's a conviction.
President Cle Jackson says he was not confident this decision would come down, but he's glad it did. As for how this could play out in court, legal experts say this is not an open and shut case.
"The leadership in this community has been awaiting this for a long time," he says. "I knew it should happen, but I did not expect it for a number of reasons that I won't get into."
He says this decision is a step in the right direction.
"II hope that it sends a strong message that ultimately your job is to protect and serve," Jackson says. "As civilians, we have to respect law enforcement and their rights. And law enforcement has to respect the rights of civilians. It goes both ways. Because at the end of the day, we're all trying to go home."
He says the NAACP now stands with the Lyoya family in their legal journey.
"Our fight is in the courts now," Jackson says.
"I think there absolutely will be a jury," Criminal Defense Attorney Sarissa Montague says.
She was not surprised to see charges filed. She expects the trial to take months, if not longer, and she says cases involving officers can get tricky.
"Issues come up regarding safety regarding whether or not they were at risk of serious bodily harm, possibly the risk of death. those type of issues come up in these cases. And that doesn't exist in a lawyer prosecution or you know, something like that," Montague says.
"It is tough, tough, tough, trying to get into the minds of what a potential jurors and juries might decide," Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School Professor Emeritus Lewis Langham says.
He's a former Michigan State Police trooper as well, and he believes it'll be harder to try Schurr for second degree murder in court.
"It's not going to be clear cut, it's going to be very difficult getting a conviction," Langham says. "I think for second degree murder. However, the manslaughter charge is 50/50. It's going to be once everything is in defense comes forward."
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