Grand Rapids, Mich. – Family members of Latrice maze sat in the choir stand inside Mount Zion Church of god in Christ, on the city’s southeast side.
Maze, a mother of five, was reported missing on March 21st . Two days before that on the 19TH, police said they were called to 47 Burton Street for a domestic violence situation between Maze and her boyfriend Jahleel Hoskins.
According Chief Kevin Belk, officers offered to take Maze to a shelter, but she declined saying she didn’t feel her life was threatened.
“That was not true. Latrice was in an altercation with him and she was trying to leave,” Victoria Ezell, Maze’s aunt said to the chief.
We now know that Hoskins is in jail. He’s charged with her murder. Police believe he put Maze’s body in a dumpster.
Thursday night, family members wanted to know why police didn’t separate the two after Maze claimed Hoskins grabbed her.
“When we were at the home, there was not an adequate amount of evidence for the officer to make an arrest,” Kevin Belk, Grand Rapids’ police chief said to the family.
Ezell said to the chief, “We had so many… neighbors that heard [her], and she was trying to leave out of there.”
“She wouldn’t have made an effort to call the police and then when you get there not leave. So I don’t know where all of this is coming from, but we will see the light of it. We will see the light of it,” she added.
The chief said his officers followed procedure handling the reported dispute. Again, Belk said the officer didn’t see any physical evidence that Maze had been grabbed.
Otherwise, the situation would have been handled much differently. Hoskins would have been arrested. To add, he would have violated his parole.
