(WXYZ) — The family of Patrick Lyoya and attorneys for the family spoke on Thursday afternoon, moments after Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced he's charging the officer with second-degree murder.
The announcement came down around 3 p.m. Thursday, and Becker said he believes there is enough evidence to charge Officer Christopher Schurr with second-degree murder.
Ven Johnson, the attorney for the family, said, "there is no excuse whatsoever for Patrick being shot in back of the head."
He also said there will be no celebrating the charges.
"This family has been devastated," he said.
Prominent Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump spoke later and said, "my heart breaks for you and your family."
Lyoya died on April 4 after he was shot in the back of the head by an officer. He was pulled over at the intersection of Griggs and Nelson the city’s southeast side. He was driving the vehicle and there was a passenger.
ideo released by police showed Lyoya get out of the car and then struggle with Schurr.
He was on the ground with the officer on his back when the shooting happened.
According to CNN, Schurr said in records that Lyoya “has my taser.”
An autopsy found he died from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head, and that his blood-alcohol level was more than three times the state’s legal limit of .08.
Becker said that he spoke with Lyoya's family and also had a letter written to them in Swahili to read.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released this statement after the announcement:
"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."
