“You have a city that isn’t going to become numb to this sort of thing.”
Grand Rapids police chief Eric Winstrom says in 2024 there were 13 murders in the city compared to 23 the year before. And he thinks one reason; people are fed up with violent crime in their community and are helping police successfully investigate threats and apprehend criminals.
“That’s a recipe for success. I hope I’m standing here a year from now talking about greater success in these numbers.”
Winstrom says investigators have identified suspects in 9 of the 2024 homicides. He says the remaining unsolved 2024 murders are a priority, but he says work has not stopped on what some would call cold cases from previous years.
“I don’t even like to use the term cold case. I speak to families on a regular basis for homicides going back to as far as 1999 and we are focused on justice and closure for these families.”
