Latest news with #SilentObserver
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Deputies: One killed in shooting near Kalamazoo
OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — One person was killed in a Kalamazoo-area shooting Tuesday afternoon, deputies say. It happened around 2:30 p.m. at the Canterbury House Apartments, located off of Drake Road in Oshtemo Township. Deputies were sent to the scene in response to a call about a gunshot, the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office said in a release. A male victim was found unresponsive in one of the apartment buildings, the sheriff's office said. First responders on scene attempted life-saving measures. He was then brought to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries, the sheriff's office said. His identity is not being released, pending notification of his family. A witness on scene gave deputies a description of a potential suspect, who was seen fleeing from the area, the sheriff's office said. Law enforcement quickly found an individual matching the description and took them into custody for questioning. Deputies were still on scene around 4:45 p.m. as they interviewed witnesses and investigate, the sheriff's office said. Anyone with information should call the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division at 269.383.8749 or send an anonymous tip through Silent Observer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
17-year-old charged with murder in shooting of 15-year-old in Grand Rapids
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A 17-year-old now faces a murder charge in the death of a 15-year-old who was gunned down in Grand Rapids last year. Cartiyae Pascal was arraigned Tuesday on a count of open murder and a weapons charge in the death of Amillier Penn, Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Winstrom confirmed. Winstrom said he is being charged as an adult. 'For nearly a year, GRPD detectives have been following every lead and every tip, painstakingly building this case to bring justice for Milli and his family,' Winstrom said in a statement. 'The brazen murder of a 15-year-old child, out playing football with his friends, is one that I hope our city will never forget. I know that there are many people in Grand Rapids and across the country who have been invested in justice for Milli. While it can never erase the sense of loss, I hope that gives some measure of healing to his family and loved ones.' Pascal's name had already when a docuseries about GRPD premiered in April. The first episode spotlighted the investigation into Amillier's death. 'There is just a ton of work to be done (in this murder investigation). And as was showcased in this episode, I think the biggest obstacle for this was the trust,' GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom told News 8 after the show aired. He said he hoped the docuseries would encourage people to come forward with information. Winstrom was skeptical that releasing the suspect's name before charges were filed would affect the criminal case. Pascal's attorney, who is representing him in a separate shooting, disagreed. 'If the Grand Rapids Police Department were also involved in the production or the disclosure of the information and discovery, I think that can be and probably is very prejudicial to my client,' attorney Barton Morris said. Amillier, who went by Milli, was shot and killed in broad daylight on June 2 while playing football with friends on Umatilla Street SE near Madison Avenue. 'In this case, this young man was playing football with friends. He wasn't engaged in some kind of illegal activity. He wasn't armed with a handgun. He's 15 years old. So I don't think when we discover a motive that it's gonna be a motive that makes any sense,' Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Winstrom said in the days after the killing. GRPD docuseries names uncharged suspect in death of teen: Could that hurt the case? For months, Milli's family begged for information about the shooter. 'Fifteen years old and had his whole life ahead of him, taken from him, robbed from him for nothing,' Corey Penn, Amillier's dad, told News 8 in July. 'It still feel like the same day. It feels like when I got that phone call when my son was shot. That is what it feels like and it feels like that every single day.' A $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest was offered through Silent Observer. 'We are fighting against what seems to be a culture amongst the witnesses of a code of silence,' Winstrom said in July. 'You've got a child, a 15-year-old boy, who was playing football. Whatever the history, whatever the motive was, it doesn't make sense and it doesn't make sense for adults who were there and who have information not to come forward and do the right thing for Milli.' 'It's no honor amongst thieves. I can say that, and it runs parallel with this situation because my son was robbed of his life at 15 years old,' Penn said. 'So we as a community, as adults, we've got to start taking some accountability for the things that we allow. Somebody has got to stand up and set an example.' 'Stand up': Family seeks tips in Grand Rapids teen's death Penn said he would not watch the docuseries episode about his son's death. 'I didn't watch the documentary, because this is an everyday hell for me that I'm living in,' he told News 8 in April. '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.' Father won't watch GRPD docuseries episode on son's killing: 'I'm still living it' Corey Penn and Seeds of Promise GR have asked the city of Grand Rapids to designate Umatilla Street SE from Madison Avenue to Union Avenue as 'Amillier Penn Way.' On Tuesday, the city of Grand Rapids Community Development Committee scheduled a public hearing on the requested commemorative street name designation for June 10. Milli was one of two 15-year-olds shot and killed in Grand Rapids within weeks of each other last year. La-kyijah Williams was shot dead May 18 in the city's Arena District. Josiah Pittman, 18, was . Pascal was in an unrelated shooting on Sept. 1, 2024, that injured a man. In that case, police say, a shooter '(lay) in wait' for the victim when he came out of a convenience store on Madison Avenue at Dickinson Avenue SE, then shot him multiple times. The victim's mother, who narrowly avoided gunfire, rushed him to the hospital and doctors were able to save his life. Surveillance, rap videos helped ID shooting suspect, detective says Police say they have video that shows Pascal was the shooter outside the convenience store, and that his mother also identified him as the person in the video when she accompanied her son to a police interrogation. Detectives said Pascal and his mother kept talking in the interview room after they left the room, testifying that Pascal's mother asked, 'How many times did you shoot him?' and Pascal replied, 'Um, about five.' 'She asks if there's any more bodies on the gun, and he says, 'No,'' police testimony continued. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Vigil honors victims of crime in Kent County
GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — An annual candlelight vigil and prayer was held Tuesday to honor those in Kent County who have become victims of crime. Dozens gathered at the 63rd District Court for the vigil, all having lived through the unthinkable — losing a loved one to violence. The vigil was hosted by Silent Observer and the Kent County Victim Witness Unit. April 6-12 is National Crime Victims' Rights Week, which aims to help all crime victims achieve justice in whatever way they can. This year, the theme is kinship, in an effort to recognize the humanity of crime victims and survivors. Sheila Hall lost her son to gun violence in June. She told News 8 at the vigil that its events like these that help her continue to grieve. GRPD: Man facing charges in deadly June shooting 'I didn't really want to come, because I didn't really know what it was going to be about. I feel like everybody here we just share the same pain. We got the different children, or sisters or brothers, whoever the victim was,' Hall said. 'I feel some type of relief you know, knowing that we all share the same kind of pain. The rose, it just means life so there is light at the end of the tunnel but where that light is, I don't know.' While someone has been with her son's killing, she said the pain is still felt every day. Hall said she attended the vigil to be around others who have lived through the same things as her. 'It's a good light, good, sweet sound experience. I am not alone in this battle or in this situation,' she said. 'It's very important just to come out and share and be among the same people who have experienced or are experiencing what you are experiencing.' Another attendee, Diana Garcia, who lost her granddaughter in September of 2023, came to the vigil to keep her story alive. Vasquez was at a car meetup on Grand Rapids' southwest side, but Garcia said to this day, no charges have been filed. GRPD promises consequences for dangerous car meetups 'She really was the light of my life, and it was cut so short,' Garcia said. 'I don't always want to remember her dying, I want to remember everyone to remember how happy she was, what a good person she was.' At the vigil, over 150 names were read to the crowd followed by a bell ringing, as a way to continue remembering. No matter the situation, these families still share the same message: Violence does not have to be the answer. 'This is to honor them, to remember them that unfortunately so many of these young people, I saw so many pictures of young people that were shot by guns by violence, I don't get it. I don't get it,' Garcia said. 'Put the guns down, you might have a little spat or argument, but it doesn't mean that we should take it and destroy or take away a life,' Hall said. In observance of Crime Victims' Rights Week, The Grand Rapids Police Department's Victim Services Unit is hosting an event called, 'Option and Rights of Crime Victims' on April 9 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the police department. The event will be focused on teaching attendees about victims' rights and options through the civil and judicial processes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Yahoo
Public asked to help locate Norton Shores woman last seen at Casino
NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) — The Norton Shores Police Department is asking the public for help locating a 74-year-old woman. It said Nancy Bloomquist is missing from her Norton Shores home under concerning circumstances. She was last known to have traveled to Little River Casino on April 3 and is seen on surveillance footage leaving the casino going southbound on US-131 around 5:30 p.m. She has not been seen or heard from since. Her family indicated this is 'highly unusual' behavior for Bloomquist, and they are concerned for her safety. Police say she is believed to be driving a white 2024 GMC Terrain with a Michigan license plate EJQ3184. Anyone with information is asked to contact Norton Shores Police Department at 231.733.2691 or Silent Observer at 231.722.7463 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Yahoo
Man thrown from car, killed in Polkton Township crash
POLKTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A Grand Rapids man was killed in an early Saturday morning crash. Around 1 a.m., deputies with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office were sent to I-96 near 72nd Avenue for a crash. Responding deputies learned that a black Cadillac Escalade had left the roadway and rolled several times, throwing the driver. The driver, a 43-year-old Grand Rapids man, died at the scene, the sheriff's office said. His name has not been released. Anyone with information is asked to call the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office at 616.738.4000 or Silent Observer at 877.887.4536. The crash remains under investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
