Did a police officer's Taser pose a threat against him? Murder trial centers on weapon

GRAND RAPIDS (AP) — There’s no question about how Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese immigrant, was killed.

Lyoya was fatally shot in the back of the head while on the ground by a Michigan police officer, who was subsequently charged with second-degree murder. The question before a jury this week is whether the use of deadly force against the Black man was justified.

High-ranking Grand Rapids officers defended Christopher Schurr’s actions Thursday, the fourth day of trial, as his attorneys tried to show that he was forced to use his gun after Lyoya got possession of his Taser. If convicted, Schurr faces up to life in prison.

“We don’t have to wait for someone to hurt us to do something,” said Capt. Chad McKersie, a Taser expert in the Grand Rapids department.

Schurr pulled over a vehicle driven by Lyoya for improper license plates in April 2022 in a residential neighborhood in Grand Rapids, roughly 150 miles (240 kilometers) west of Detroit.

Video footage shows Schurr struggling to subdue Lyoya as they grappled over the officer’s Taser. Schurr told him to stop resisting and drop the weapon multiple times throughout the encounter.

While Lyoya was facedown on the ground with Schurr on top of him, the officer took out his gun and shot him once in the back of the head.

McKersie told the jury that Lyoya had “complete control” of Schurr’s Taser, a weapon that fires electrically charged probes intended to freeze muscles and stop an aggressor.

It’s possible that Lyoya could have pressed the Taser against Schurr in “drive stun” mode after two cartridges were already spent, McKersie said.

“It’s perceived like a blowtorch. It’s unbelievably painful,” he testified.

But during cross-examination, prosecutor Chris Becker asked McKersie to point to a Grand Rapids policy that says deadly force can be used when an officer’s Taser is taken away.

“You’re looking for the black-and-white answer. It’s the totality of the circumstances at that time,” McKersie replied, noting that Schurr was exhausted and Lyoya wouldn’t stop resisting during a fight that lasted more than two minutes.

Grand Rapids Officer Jason Gady, a firearms instructor, said there was nothing unreasonable about the shooting. He said training does not recommend officers fire a warning shot or a shot to the extremities if presented with a deadly threat.

Schurr, 34, was fired by city officials at the recommendation of Chief Eric Winstrom after he was charged. At the time, Winstrom said his recommendation was based on video of the encounter, the prosecutor’s review of a state police investigation and Schurr’s interview with internal investigators.

Police spokesperson Jennifer Kalczuk declined to comment Thursday about testimony from local officers in support of Schurr, saying it would be inappropriate. The trial will resume Friday.

Earlier in the week, a representative from Axon, the company that makes Tasers, said Schurr’s device was fired twice but apparently didn’t strike Lyoya. Bryan Chiles agreed with defense lawyers that the officer could have been seriously injured if Lyoya had turned the Taser on Schurr and used in “drive stun” mode.

Lyoya's death prompted calls to reform the police department. People who support Schurr and the victim have protested outside the Kent County courthouse during the trial.

Mary and Frank Hillyard, retired teachers, stood outside Thursday with signs that said “Justice 4 Patrick.”

“I have a lot of people that I know in law enforcement,” Frank Hillyard said. “I appreciate their service. But this kind of stuff is just out of bounds.”

Prosecutors rested their case Wednesday after calling witnesses in the neighborhood who saw the fight, as well as two experts in the use of force.

Seth Stoughton, a South Carolina law professor and former police officer, said deadly force can be justified if there is an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm against an officer.

“In my opinion, that was lacking in this case,” Stoughton told the jury.

He noted that Schurr had time to tell Lyoya that he might shoot him, a warning that might have defused the conflict.

Nicholas Bloomfield, an expert from New Mexico and a former police officer, said the shooting was “unreasonable, excessive and contrary to generally accepted police practices.”

He noted that the video shows Lyoya trying to get away from Schurr — not get closer. Bloomfield said Schurr should have known that Lyoya couldn’t use the Taser to incapacitate the officer because the weapon’s two powerful electric cartridges had already been fired.

“Patrick Lyoya did grab ahold of the officer’s Taser and there was a struggle over the Taser,” Bloomfield testified. “But again, in this circumstance, there was nothing that we termed to be aggressiveness or combativeness on the part of Mr. Lyoya toward the officer.”

FILE - Patrick Lyoya's mother, Dorcas Lyoya, waits for the Michigan Court of Appeals hearing in the case against Christopher Schurr to begin in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (Cory Morse/MLive.com/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

The family of Patrick Lyoya and Kent County commissioner Robert Womack, right, arrive outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Monday, April 28, 2025. (Chris duMond/Detroit News via AP)

Michigan State Police bicycle unit joins Grand Rapids Police outside the Kent County Courthouse where the first day of trial began for former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr, who is charged in the 2022 killing of a Black motorist, Patrick Lyoya, in Grand Rapids, Mich., Monday, April 28, 2025. (Joel Bissell/MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

In this image taken from video from WOOD-TV, Kent County Prosecutor shows Aaron Tubergen, a detective sergeant with the Michigan State Police, the Taser of former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr, who is charged in the 2022 killing of a Black motorist, Patrick Lyoya, as he testifies during the first day of Schurr's murder trial at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Monday, April 28, 2025. (WOOD-TV, Pool Photo/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

A video image provided by WOOD-TV of former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr taken by Jessica Beaudry, crime scene technician with Grand Rapids Police Department, is displayed on the first day of Schurr's trial, who is charged in the 2022 killing of a Black motorist, Patrick Lyoya, at the Kent County Courthouse, Monday, April 28, 2025, Grand Rapids, Mich. (WOOD-TV/Pool Photo/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Members of the media watch as dash cam footage from former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr patrol vehicle is played for the jury during Schurr's murder trial in the 2022 killing of a Black motorist, Patrick Lyoya, at Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Monday, April 28, 2025. (Joel Bissell/MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

A video image provided by WOOD-TV shows former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr being tased during his police academy training, played for the jury during testimony in the first day of Schurr's murder trial for the 2022 killing of a Black motorist, Patrick Lyoya, at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Monday, April 28, 2025. (WOOD-TV/Pool Photo/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker shows Bryan Chiles, senior manager of Axon Forensics, the Taser7 used by former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr on Patrick Lyoya during the second day of trial at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (WOOD-TV via AP, Pool)

Body worn camera footage showing former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr with a Taser7 and Patrick Lyoya is shown during the third day at the Kent County Courthouse with his wife Brandey in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr sits in court during the second day of his trial at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Schurr is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese immigrant during a traffic stop on April 4, 2022. (WOOD-TV via AP, Pool)

HANOI, Vietnam--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 13, 2026--

FPT, through its global IT services subsidiary FPT Software, has achieved ISO/IEC 42001:2023, the first global standard for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Management Systems. With this milestone, FPT became the first company in Vietnam and the second in Southeast Asia to earn this recognition, underscoring its commitment to responsible AI development and deployment with consideration for fairness and impartiality, privacy and security, safety, quality and robustness, governance, transparency and explainability.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260112494011/en/

The certification was issued by the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company SGS and qualified by ANAB (ANSI National Accreditation Board) - a leading U.S. accreditation body with global recognition. ISO/IEC 42001 specifies requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving AI management systems, allowing organizations to effectively manage risks and opportunities associated with AI, balancing innovation with compliance.

Achieving ISO/IEC 42001:2023 reflects FPT’s capability in AI governance, encompassing ethics, risk management, transparency, compliance, and ensuring alignment with both business goals and societal values. It also strengthens FPT’s position as a trusted technology partner for global organizations, especially those in highly regulated industries such as banking and financial services, automotive, healthcare, energy, and the public sector. The milestone further solidifies FPT’s position as an AI-first company, strengthening its foundation for scaling AI responsibly while helping clients navigate evolving regulatory, ethical, and operational challenges associated with AI adoption.

“As an AI-first company, we pledge to prioritize safety, ethics and accountability at every stage of our AI lifecycle. By continuously governing AI development and implementation processes, we provide our clients and partners with the assurance that our solutions are built with responsibility, transparency and adhere to international excellence,” said Dao Duy Cuong, FPT Software EVP and Chief Digital & Technology Officer, FPT Corporation.

FPT actively promotes responsible AI development as a founding member of the AI Alliance led by IBM and Meta, and the Vietnam Ethical AI Committee. The company is committed to embedding rigorous AI governance across its global operations and solution portfolio, including its flagship AI platform FleziPT, which boosts productivity by 30%, accelerates development by 60% and reduces 50% in rework. The company also maintains co-creation partnerships with global leaders like AWS, Microsoft, SAP, and NVIDIA to deliver tailored solutions for industry-specific challenges. Supporting these efforts is a workforce of over 25,000 AI-augmented, globally certified engineers, and world-class infrastructure including cutting-edge AI Factories in Vietnam and Japan, which have been ranked among the world’s Top 40 fastest supercomputers. Expanding its AI footprint, FPT is developing a new Research Center in Gia Lai Province, Vietnam, which is expected to become a critical component of its global AI development network, supporting high-quality talent cultivation for both the local community and the nation.

About FPT

FPT Corporation (FPT) is a globally leading technology and IT services provider headquartered in Vietnam, operating in three core sectors: Technology, Telecommunications, and Education. Over more than three decades, FPT has consistently delivered impactful solutions to millions of individuals and tens of thousands of organizations worldwide. As an AI-first company, FPT is committed to elevating Vietnam’s position on the global tech map and delivering world-class AI-enabled solutions for global enterprises. FPT focuses on three critical transformations: Digital Transformation, Intelligence Transformation, and Green Transformation. In 2024, FPT reported a total revenue of USD 2.47 billion and a workforce of over 54,000 employees across its core businesses. For more information about FPT's global IT services, please visit https://fptsoftware.com.

FPT received ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification during the certification award ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam