GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids man has been sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for possessing ammunition as a felon.
29-year-old Tyrone Smith Jr. was charged in connection to shots fired at at the Blue Bridge in June 2025.
Timothy VerHey, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, said this case went to the federal level because it is not Smith's first felony firearms offense.
"We chose Smith for federal prosecution on this firearms charge because he has repeatedly refused to abide by laws that say he cannot have a firearm," said VerHey in a statement. "After being convicted no fewer than four times for felony firearms offenses in the State of Michigan, he went out and got himself another gun, then took it to a crowded public gathering and fired it off."
The Department of Justice say Smith pulled the gun from his waistband and fired four rounds, causing people to run from the bridge.
They shared a surveillance photo, saying the man circled in red is Smith and the flash is from a muzzle.
Investigators say police found the gun later that night. It was identified as a Polymer P80 pistol with an extended magazine; a privately made "ghost gun" without a serial number, making it difficult to track.
No one was seriously hurt in the incident.
