Following an autopsy by the Kent County Medical Examiner, the deaths of 38-year-old Savanah Rubio and 15-year-old Jeremiah Griffin-Cuevas have been ruled a homicide.
Eighteen-year-old Rafael Martinez-Lopez has been charged with two counts of open murder, two felony firearms charges, and three additional weapons charges.
Authorities allege Martinez-Lopez approached a group of kids that included Jeremiah on Tuesday evening outside Southwest Elementary, asking if he could join them in their soccer game. When they refused, Martinez-Lopez shot Jeremiah. When Rubio tried to intervene, she was also shot.
Jeremiah died at the scene. Rubio passed away after being transported to a hospital.
Martinez-Lopez fled the scene but was later found and arrested.
In a statement, Grand Rapids Interim Police Chief Joe Trigg said, “We have care and concern for all victims, but this kind of senseless violence just hits differently, even for long-serving officers like myself. We are grieving alongside their loved ones and our community.”
For a weekly dose of news right to your inbox, sign up for the WGVU newsletter.
