Father won't watch GRPD docuseries episode on son's killing: ‘I'm still living it'
GRAND RAPID, Mich. (WOOD) — A docuseries that aired Tuesday focused on the death of Corey Penn's son, 15-year-old Amillier Penn, who was shot and killed on June 2 while playing football with some friends.
Corey Penn says despite participating in the documentary, he won't be watching it.
'I didn't watch the documentary, because this is an everyday hell for me that I'm living in,' Corey Penn said. 'I sat for six hours to get past that yellow tape to view my son's body. But I want to remember my son how I last seen him alive, as much as possible.'
'I don't need to watch it. I'm still living it,' he later added.
Ten months after his son's death, no one has been charged.
New documentary series goes inside GRPD with 'total transparency'
'All Access PD: Grand Rapids' is an eight-part documentary, released after the film crew followed the Grand Rapids Police Department for 100 days. The first episode focused on the death Amillier Penn.
Corry Penn said he did learn about some of the contents from family and friends who watched the episode, which included the name of a potential suspect. News 8 is not naming the individual because they have not been charged with a crime at this time.
Corry Penn says some of the new details shown in the episode gives him hope that charges are close.
Vigil held for 15-year-old shot and killed in Grand Rapids
'I really feel like we are very close to getting justice for Milli,' he said. 'I really feel like any day now my phone will be ringing with the good news that an individual is being charged with the murder of my son.'
He said that he originally did not want to participate in the documentary. He eventually decided he would, because he's part of his son's story: a story he's worked relentlessly to keep alive.
'As much as I didn't want to be a part of it, or I didn't want certain things to be aired, I think people seeing the severity of the situation and the pain that it's caused families, and just to know that this was a 15-year-old child — somebody may come forward and just help us across the finish line,' he said.
Family members who did watch it are feeling heartbroken, he said.
'Stand up': Family seeks tips in Grand Rapids teen's death
'I'm not at peace, my family's not at peace. And I think it would take a very long time before I would ever even think about hitting the play button to watch that,' he said.
As for the upcoming episodes, he said the families impacted by those cases are welcome to reach out to him, even if they just need a listening ear.
'I just feel empty,' he said. 'That's my kid. I watched him grow up, he's a part of me, comes from me. You don't feel whole after losing a piece of you like that.'
Anyone with information about Amillier Penn's killing is asked to call GRPD at 616.456.3400 or Silent Observer at 616.774.2345.
— News 8's Adriana Doria contributed to this report.
Correction: A previous version of this report misspelled Corey Penn's name. We regret the error, which has since been corrected.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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