GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.– A 67-year-old man is recovering after he was shot in the leg while watering his lawn with his 7-year-old grandson. Police believe it is a pattern of violence growing in that Grand Rapids neighborhood.
It happened at about 8:50 p.m. Wednesday night.
According to police, the man was a bystander in the incident, which took place at the 1000 block of Thomas Street near Neland Avenue. Officers say while the man was watering his lawn, a teenager ran by, chasing after a black car with tinted windows. That’s when the man heard some loud pops and ran to get his grandson inside. Police say that’s when the man was shot in the leg. He has a broken femur but is expected to be OK.
According to GRPD, this is all part of a larger pattern of violence in this neighborhood. On Saturday, a few blocks away on Logan Street, officers responded to a drug complaint. They recovered two handguns and arrested on person. And last month, officers say in that same area, they responded to a report of several dozen people fighting. Police recovered a handgun there as well.
GRPD mentioned that on that night, May 18, Michigan State Police last used their helicopter to help the city fight crime.
Officers believe the violence is connected and are working with the neighborhood to put an end to it.
Anyone with any information on this latest shooting should contact Grand Rapids Police Department at 616-456-3400 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.
