Jurors in Michigan officer's murder trial are struggling to reach a verdict, told to keep trying

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A judge urged jurors to keep working Tuesday after they said they couldn't reach a unanimous verdict in the murder trial of a Michigan police officer who fatally shot a 26-year-old Congolese immigrant minutes after a routine traffic stop.

“Talk things over in the spirit of fairness and frankness. ... By reasoning the matter out, jurors can often reach agreement," Kent County Judge Christina Mims said.

Christopher Schurr has claimed self-defense in the killing of Patrick Lyoya following a brief foot chase and fierce physical struggle in a Grand Rapids residential neighborhood in 2022.

Schurr, 34, is charged with second-degree murder, but the jury can also consider a lesser charge of manslaughter. After a pep talk from the judge, jurors resumed discussions and will return again Wednesday. Deliberations began Monday afternoon.

Lyoya’s mother rocked side to side in her seat as the judge spoke. Schurr and his wife left the courtroom holding hands.

The shooting on a cool, rainy spring morning was recorded on video. Schurr was on top of Lyoya and had lost control of a Taser to him. He repeatedly ordered Lyoya to drop the weapon and to stop resisting before he shot him in the back of the head.

In his closing argument, prosecutor Chris Becker said Lyoya was “no saint,” noting his resistance, a high blood-alcohol level and his lack of a driver's license.

But “none of those are executable offenses,” Becker told the jury.

Defense attorney Matthew Borgula said Schurr genuinely feared for his life after losing control of his Taser, which is designed to temporarily incapacitate someone with electric current.

“Christopher Schurr was at work, and he was faced with the toughest decision of his life in half a second,” Borgula said.

Schurr was fired from the Grand Rapids department.

The shooting prompted protests in the city, and demonstrators on both sides have stood outside the courthouse during the trial with signs that say, “Stand with Schurr” and “Justice for Patrick.”

Civil rights groups decried the shooting as more aggression against Black people in the U.S. by white officers.

Police use bicycles to divide supporters of former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr, who is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, a Congolese immigrant, and Lyoya outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (Joel Bissell/MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Judge Christina Mims instructs a deadlocked jury as they deliberate a verdict for former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr, who is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese immigrant, at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (Joel Bissell /MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Police divide supporters of former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr, who is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, a Congolese immigrant, and Lyoya outside the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (Joel Bissell/MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr, who is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, a Congolese immigrant, appears for jury instructions at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (Joel Bissell/MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Defense attorney Matthew Borgula listens as Judge Christina Mims addresses the courtroom during the fourth day of trial for former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr, who is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, a Congolese immigrant, during a traffic stop, at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Thursday, May 1 2025. (Joel Bissell/MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker cross-examines David Siver, GRPD Capt., as he testifies during the fourth day of trial for former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr, who is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, a Congolese immigrant, during a traffic stop, at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Joel Bissell/MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

Civil-rights attorney Ben Crump holds a press conference with friends and family of Patrick Lyoya after former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr testified during the fifth day of his trial at the Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

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)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)