The first shooting happened in the area of Pearl Street and Summer Avenue where officers responded after hearing multiple gun shots fired. Two young men were taken to an area hospital with injuries resulting from the shooting.
The second incident took place in the area of 6thand Front Avenue after a 911 call came in. Upon arrival officers located victims. The shots fired killed 21 year old Saul Espinoza and injured a woman.
According to Eric Payne, Deputy Police Chief of the Grand Rapids Police Department the two shootings were unrelated, and not random acts of violence.
“I can say that the two shootings were probably unrelated.”
The Grand Rapids Police Officers Union said in a statement to social media on Sunday that the recent increase in violence is the direct result of city officials not properly staffing and supporting GRPD.
“To allow the police department to be constantly scrutinized discourages any type of proactive enforcement necessary to keep Grand Rapids safe.”
With nearly 300 GRPD officers on the streets, Payne says the department has less officers than they did back in 2002 but thanks to overtime the department is adequately staffed.
“If we would have been approved for 10, 20, 50 additional officers in this last budget cycle that wouldn’t have prevented what occurred this past weekend.”
In the last three weeks alone over 10 shootings have been reported in Grand Rapids.
Michelle Jokisch Polo, WGVU News.
