GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Friends of Greg Barker are turning to social media to remember the 2010 Forest Hills Central Graduate.
“In complete disbelief. RIP Greg Barker,” Marie Burk tweeted.
“Love you man. I will never forget all the good times,” wrote Brett Merill on Facebook.
Grand Rapids police said Barker, 21, died from blunt force trauma to the abdomen which led to internal bleeding. That was Saturday morning around 9:30.
It wasn’t until eight hours after the fight that police were called to Barker’s home in Cascade Township. Barker was suffering medical complications and was rushed to Spectrum Hospital, where he died.
His injuries occurred eight hours earlier when, around 1:10 a.m., two groups had got into an argument near the B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids. The groups were standing on a sidewalk just north of the B.O.B. when the argument led to a fist fight. Several people chased a man into the B.O.B. parking lot. There was a pile up. Security guards from the B.O.B. broke the groups up. The crowd, including Greg Barker, left before police arrived.
Greg Gilmore, owner of the B.O.B., gave the following account in a statement via text. He said two buses showed up at different times after midnight. “Most of the groups were denied entry, and they are the ones that caused the problems,” Gilmore said in the statement. “Our security only got involved when they saw one of the groups ganging up on people over by the lot by (TGI) Fridays.”
Gilmore said members of both groups showed up intoxicated.
According to Barker’s Facebook profile, he once attended Central Michigan University. FOX 17 reached out to his family, but they didn’t want to go on camera. However, they’re asking the public for thoughts and prayers to help them get through this tough time.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Grand Rapids Police Department or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.
Follow Darren Cunningham on Twitter @darrenfox17 and Facebook.
