GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Vehicles and homes in the area of Bridge and Seward streets NW on Grand Rapids' West Side were found to have bullet holes early Friday. Grand Rapids Police officers found shell casings but no suspects.
Officers were called to the scene around 1 a.m. after reports of multiple gunshots, and GRPD investigators said no one was hurt.
One woman's apartment was caught in the crossfire. She told FOX 17 News that she sat up reading in her bed Friday morning. Not able to sleep, she said she's lucky because otherwise her head may have been where a bullet shot through her bedroom window, and shattered glass all over her bed.
Konkle's Bartender Casondra Carroll said she was at work when she heard at least 30 rounds fired. She said she poked her head out the back door just as a bullet flew by.
“It was very scary: I felt like if I would have taken a step out the door I could have got shot," said Carroll. “The first thing I thought of was, my life flashed before my eyes, I have three kids, I mean my mom got killed when I was a baby. I don’t want my kids to not have their mom.”
Carroll said they locked their doors at Konkle's after some people from Louie's Bar down the block came running inside.
Some neighbors told FOX 17 they worry that the large 18 and up parties, like the one advertised on fliers for Louie's Bar Thursday night, may be causing spillover crowds that lead to this violence. However, FOX 17 spoke with the bar manager at Louie's who said this is not a result of Louie's customers, but other "bad seeds" in the neighborhood.
Meantime, officers posted a notice Friday afternoon suspending Louie's Bar liquor license for three days through July 12. State licensing officials said this suspension is because of a previous, unrelated violations involving over-serving a patron. Officials said there have been 15 previous violations at Louie's since 2008.
Carroll said her community is "getting out of hand."
“People need to be conscious of other people: people have families, people have kids, they’re somebody’s child, they need to think about what they want their family to go through, what they’re putting other people’s family through," said Carroll. "It’s sad.”
If you have any new information, call GRPD at 616-456-3604 or contact Silent Observer anonymously at 616-774-2345.
