Dear Friend,
I know we’ve never met in person, but I’m praying you’ll read this.
My name is Brandey Schurr,
and my husband is former Grand
Rapids Police Officer Christopher
Schurr.
I’ve attached a photo of
Chris and me on our wedding day
in Kenya at the end of our second
mission trip there -- a window
into a happier time of our lives.
Now, Chris and I are living in a nightmare. You see, our county prosecutor is trying to send Chris away for life...
... for the “crime” of defending himself while a violent criminal was attacking him!
What’s happening makes my head spin at the injustice of it all.
My husband is a hero, and he’s being treated like a villain.
Your support could mean the difference between Chris coming home — or losing everything.
Please, I beg you, read his story.
More than three years ago, on April 4th, 2022, at roughly 8 am, Chris was on patrol when he saw a Nissan Altima traveling unusually slow on Kalamazoo Avenue in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Believing the Nissan matched the description of a stolen car, Chris ran the plates and discovered they didn’t match the vehicle they were on, so Chris began a traffic stop. Before Chris could get out of his cruiser, the driver, Patrick Lyoya, jumped out.
For his safety, Chris ordered Lyoya back into his vehicle several times, but Lyoya refused.
Chris didn’t know it at the time, but Lyoya was an immigrant from the Congo who had been repeatedly arrested for drunk driving and had run-ins with law enforcement for domestic violence.
Lyoya’s license had been revoked for the third time for his third substance abuse conviction in three years, and he had three active warrants for his arrest.
But that day, Chris asked for Lyoya’s license and he didn’t have one. Then Lyoya started to walk away from the traffic stop!
Chris ordered him to return to the car, but when Lyoya didn’t stop, Chris went to restrain him.
That’s when Lyoya started struggling with Chris. Lyoya was extremely strong, and Chris couldn’t get cuffs on him even though Chris himself was in great shape (Chris was a 5-time All-American in both the Heptathlon and Pole Vault in college).
Then, Lyoya broke free and ran into a nearby front yard, with Chris in pursuit and telling him to stop. Chris called for backup and caught up with Lyoya. (The passenger from the car recorded this part on his phone.)
Chris and Lyoya began wrestling again. The struggle with Lyoya escalated quickly, and soon they were on the ground.
Chris took out his non-lethal Taser and attempted to stun Lyoya, but Lyoya fought for control of it.
Lyoya was strong and seemed impervious to pain, and Chris feared for his life. Chris knew that if Lyoya gained control of his Taser, Lyoya could use it to stun Chris into submission, take Chris’ service weapon, and then execute Chris.
It breaks my heart knowing this situation could have ended with my best friend not making it home to me that day.
In a struggle that seemed to last an eternity, Lyoya gained sole control of the Taser.
Chris knew he was in terrible danger now. If Lyoya stunned him with the Taser, Chris could soon be dead by a bullet from his own service weapon.
Chris pulled his service weapon and ordered Lyoya to drop the Taser. Lyoya refused -- he was going to fight to the finish.
At this point, either Chris or Lyoya was going to walk away from this fight.
As a law enforcement officer, Chris had done everything right and according to training, and now he followed his training and defended his life by discharging his weapon in self-defense.
There was nothing else he could do.
Chris was devastated -- never in his police career had my husband been compelled to use deadly force.
But he knows he did the right thing. And I’m so relieved that he came back to me that day instead of leaving me a widow.
We later found out that Lyoya had a blood alcohol level of 0.29 -- that’s more than THREE TIMES the legal limit!
We’ll never know why Lyoya decided to fight a cop that day, but we know that Chris did everything by the book.
In fact, one witness told investigators at the scene, “Your officer, he did all the right shit. ... He did everything he could do to de-escalate the situation.”
Unfortunately, anti-cop radicals in the community didn’t agree.
Because Lyoya was black and my husband is white, radicals in the community accused Chris of being a racist cop.
Demonstrators organized by the Black Panthers began bombarding city council meetings and the
prosecutor’s office with demands that my husband be prosecuted for murder.
Al Sharpton showed up for Lyoya’s funeral and said, “It made me feel like I was witnessing an execution.”
Racial arsonist and attorney Ben Crump flew in to represent Lyoya’s family and stir up racial hatred against Chris.
Chris’ fellow police officers -- both black and white -- were shocked at the blatant misrepresentations of what happened.
My husband and I went on mission trips to Kenya twice and fell in love with Africa and its people...
...and now they were accusing him of being racist. It’s outrageous!
Unfortunately, with the pressure turned up so high, the Kent County Prosecutor filed second-degree murder charges against Chris.
That’s right -- even though Lyoya fought Chris, disarmed him of his weapon, and could have killed him, Chris is being charged with murder for defending his life.
If Chris is convicted, he faces life in prison. Chris and I hope to start a family soon, but this will destroy our dreams.
I’m trying to stay strong, but the system is attempting to railroad Chris.
Radicals have hijacked our justice system and are using it to exact revenge.There’s no bottom to their hate.
Ben Crump constantly shows up in the local news media to whip up a frenzy in the community. Crump makes outrageous statements, smearing my husband. But even worse, it’s poisoning the jury pool.
I don’t know how we can get a fair trial when it’s a circus outside the courtroom.
Even if Chris wins in court, the trial will nuke our finances, probably for life.
We’ve been thankful that the police officers of Chris’ department and our community are standing behind us. It helps, but it alone is not enough.
Chris didn’t become a police officer to get rich. He did it because he wanted to serve people.
It’s because we have the same spirit of service that we went on mission trips in Africa to bring them the Good News.
For Chris, being a police officer was always about putting other people first.
We knew we’d never be rich, but we thought we could provide for a family, and we hope to start one soon.
Now, I don’t know if we’ll ever live that dream of having a family with children.
Instead, I’m staying up late at night worrying that Chris will spend decades in prison for the “crime” of self defense.
In all this darkness, there’s a new ray of hope -- the National Center for Police Defense (NCPD).
NCPD is the best friend a police officer could ever have.
They help good, innocent police officers who are unfairly charged for their actions in the line of duty.
They’ve aided Sheriff Joe Arpaio (“America’s Toughest Sheriff”), Tulsa’s Police Officer Betty Shelby, New York Cops Anthony Federico and Hugh Barry Jr., and many more.
They’ve helped Chris as we’ve braved this legal ordeal.They are a godsend.
Because NCPD is a non-profit group, they don’t get a dime from the government for the work they do defending innocent cops.
All their support comes from patriotic Americans like you.
So please forgive me if I’m not good at this, but would you consider giving $35, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or more to help Chris?
Any amount will help, and every gift is treasured.
Please act fast because Chris’ trial is set to begin on April 28th.
Your gift could make the difference between Chris coming home and starting a family...
...or him being locked up for life with felons who are itching to kill him.
We need your help. NCPD needs your help. So please rush back your best gift of $35, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or more.
The anti-cop crusade must stop.
Racial arsonists are weaponizing the justice system against cops, and it’s spreading like wildfire across the country.
Soon, no good police officers will want to do the job -- the risk will be too high.
And when good cops like Chris are driven from their posts, criminals rush in -- even in your town.
Remember, prosecutors have unlimited funds to crush people like Chris at trial.
Chris and I are counting on the generous hearts of patriotic Americans like you.
Please take another look at the photo I’ve included of our wedding day.
We got married in Kenya because we felt a deep connection to the people there, each other, and God.
There’s not a racist bone in Chris’ body, and it’s unconscionable that they’re trying to destroy Chris because he defended himself.
This isn’t about black and white. It’s about right and wrong.
And it’s simply wrong to destroy an innocent man -- my wonderful husband Chris -- for doing his job honorably and professionally.
On my wedding day, I promised Chris I would be there “for better and for worse.”
I humbly ask for your support in these “worse” times. Help Chris win his trial so we can have “better” times ahead.
I thank you for your incredible patience as I pour out my heart.
And as the wife of a police officer, I thank you and say God bless!
Sincerely,
Brandey Schurr
P.S. Chris’ life has been threatened twice... Once, when a convicted criminal tried to kill him...
And now, a second time, with the justice system trying to prosecute him for the “crime” of defending his life. Chris’ trial begins April 28th, and we have no time to spare to save him from life in prison. Please do all you can to help NCPD with a gift of at least $35 or $50 today.
