GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The investigation continues into the deadly shooting that occurred on South Division Avenue and Fair Street overnight.
Chief Eric Winstrom told FOX 17 that Grand Rapids police officers were out on patrol around 12:15 a.m. on Thursday, March 9, when they heard rapid gunfire come from that area.
READ MORE: 1 killed, 1 hurt after shooting in busy Grand Rapids neighborhood
When they arrived, officers found one man shot who was later pronounced dead at the scene, and another man who was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Chief Winstrom said he’s expected to live.
“I actually responded myself. I got there probably about 45 minutes later and I was struck by the size of the crime scene. I want to say that there were evidence markers over about a block period,” Chief Winstrom said in an interview at headquarters. “There were well over 50 shell casings, which when I pulled into my parking spot this morning after going home and getting some sleep and coming back to work, our evidence [team] was going out there for a second shot.”
Chief Winstrom said there might have been 100 shell casings on the ground, which caught his attention.
He added that, even though the investigation is in its preliminary stages, he believes that due to the large number of casings it could mean that there were “multiple weapons and multiple shooters” or that an automatic gun was used.
“From the information that I got preliminarily from the officers that overheard the shots, there’s a good chance that these were automatic rounds that were fired,” he said. “We’ve seen this problem, fortunately not as often as other cities have seen, but the proliferation of these, they’re called Glock switches. It’s a small piece of hardware.”
UPDATE on the overnight fatal shooting on Fair & Division:
— Lauren Edwards (@LaurenEdwardsTV) March 9, 2023
One woman says she’s grateful to be alive. When she heard shots she dropped to the ground, & says there were a lot of shots.
The Chief says there were lots of shell casings & wonders if an automatic was used. // @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/WarvutKhoo
Chief Winstrom said Glock switches are illegal to possess in the United States and illegal to manufacture. However, what law enforcement has seen over the last few years is people buying the parts, which is legal, and then making them with 3D printers.
“What those Glock switches do is it’s a very easy way to turn a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic machine gun,” Chief Winstrom said. “And when those are used they’re impossible to aim even by trained marksman. A very good pistol shooter cannot properly aim a fully automatic handgun. It’s just impossible.”
When FOX 17 went to Fair Street Thursday afternoon to survey the area, we met a woman who said “she was grateful to be alive today.” She declined an interview, but said she was near the shooting when it broke out and when she heard the shots, which were a lot, she “dropped to the ground.” She too believes that an automatic weapon was used.
Chief Winstrom said Glock switches and automatic weapons aren’t seen often in Grand Rapids or West Michigan. However, he’s been working with ATF to keep them out of the area.
He said they can be very dangerous, especially when they’re used in residential areas like Division and Fair.
“You have a real significant chance of having individuals that are sleeping in their beds, struck by a stray bullet,” Chief Winstrom said. “So, just something that keeps me up at night.”
