A traditional wedding for an American cop caught on video shooting a Congolese national is being used by US police investigating the matter.
In a video that went viral on social media on Monday, April 4, Christopher Schurr, an officer attached to the Michigan police was filmed fatally shooting Patrick Lyoya while being arrested.
The incident caused an uproar on social media with many Americans demanding justice for the 26-year-old as civil groups organised day-long protests.
Consequently, the Michigan State police department opened investigations into the matter with the marriage of Schurr in Kisii County in 2014 taking center stage.
While investigating the officer's past, it was revealed that he is married to a Kenyan woman from Kisii and had taken part in various charitable initiatives in Kenya.
It is reported that the officer made several trips to the country and participated in the building of churches in Kisii.
During an interview in 2014, the cop now under investigation revealed that he held a traditional wedding in his wife's home county.
“We are going to do a wedding their style. I have an African outfit already and my fiancee will pick out some fabric and she will make a Kenyan-style dress,” he stated then.
While his Kenyan background has painted the officer in good light, Lyoya's family through their lawyer Ven Johnson, have called on the police to arrest their colleague, insisting the charitable works were being used as a ploy to defend his actions.
The lawyer expressed the family's displeasure with the progress of the investigations. Johnson cited the lengthy time the police took to reveal the identity of the cop.
Schur's identity was revealed on Monday, April 24, three weeks after the incident.
“An intentional three-week delay in releasing the name of the involved officer, which they clearly knew at the moment of the shooting, is offensive and the exact opposite of being ‘transparent," he stated.
The officer is yet to be arrested as police continue with their investigations.
