Wyoming Police Department investigates shootings on Sept. 8 and 9, 2023
By WKTV Staff
deborah@wktv.org
The Wyoming Police Department responded to shooting events on Friday, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 9 that left two people injured and one person dead.
A shooting that left one person injured in the 3800 block of South Division Ave on Sept. 8 is being investigated by the WPD.
At approximately 9:15 p.m. on Sept. 8, 2023, police and fire personnel from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety responded to the 3800 block of South Division Ave on a report of a person shot. When officers arrived, they located a 53-year-old male Grand Rapids area resident suffering from a gunshot wound. The male was treated by medical personnel on scene and transported to an area hospital in serious condition.
Wyoming Police Department (Courtesy, Deborah Reed, WKTV Staff)
There is no suspect information available at this time.
One person is dead and another injured after a shooting in the 3100 block of Woodward Ave SW on Saturday, Sept. 9.
At approximately 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 9, 2023, police and fire personnel from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety responded to the 3100 block of Woodward Avenue on a report of shooting with two individuals shot. When officers arrived, they located two juvenile male Wyoming residents suffering from gunshot wounds.
One male was treated by medical personnel on scene and transported to an area hospital in serious condition. The other juvenile is deceased.
Individuals involved in this incident have been located and interviewed by investigators.
Wyoming Police detectives and Forensic Services Unit continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding both shooting incidents.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to contact Wyoming Police detectives at 616-530-7300 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345; 1-866-774-2345; or https://www.silentobserver.org.
On Wednesday, March 15, at approximately 3:40 p.m., officers from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety and Grandville Police Department responded to the 5900 block of Canal Avenue on a report of gun shots in the area.
When officers arrived in the area, they located several shell casings in the roadway of the 5700 block of Canal Avenue. The initial investigation indicates that the occupants of an older model grey or gold sedan fired shots from their vehicle. At this time, it is unknown why the shots were fired. No victims nor property damage was located by officers.
At the time of the shots call Century Park Learning Center, 5710 Kenowa Ave. SW, was in the process of dismissing students. To ensure the safety of students and staff; school buses were briefly asked to stay in the parking lot of Century Park Learning Center until officers were able to determine the area was safe. Officers maintained a presence in the area while buses were dismissed from Century Park Learning Center.
There is no indication that this was in any way related to or directed at the students or staff of Century Park Learning Center.
The City of Wyoming is weighing several different options for future carnival events.
Due to a late start followed by an early closure of its carnival, City of Wyoming officials expect its revenues to be “significantly” less than last year, coming in under $10,000, way below the $30,000 goal.
Wintry weather caused a delay in the opening of the spring carnival, moving the opening from Friday, April 8, to Monday, April 11. Despite the delay, city officials said if the weather cooperated, they felt they could make their goals.
The weather did turn warmer, but the city closed the carnival at various times on Thursday and Friday due to shooting incidents near the event. City officials officially announced the shutdown of the annual event at the former Studio 28 parking lot on the morning of April 16, about two days before the scheduled conclusion. City officials made the decision to close the carnival because of the shooting incidents. The first was on Thursday, April 14, when a 19-year-old man showed up at Metro Hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. While witnesses to the shooting were uncooperative, Wyoming police officers believed the this shooting took place in the parking lot next to 1350 28th St. SW.
On Friday, April 15, officers heard a gunshot in a parking lot south of the carnival. The officers witnessed a vehicle leaving and made a traffic stop, discovering two guns and arresting three people on weapon charges. Both events are still under investigation.
“We are still working on the final numbers,” said Wyoming’s Community Services Director Rebecca Rynbrandt about the carnival, adding that the city is working with the carnival vendor on expenses he had to incur do to the early closure.
“We are expecting our portion to be significantly less than what we had hoped,” Rynbrandt said. She said that the estimated amount is less than $10,000. Last year, the city earned about $26,000. The money from the carnival is split between the Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department and the Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance (GWRCA). The Parks and Recreation Department uses the money to help with park needs. The GWRCA funds youth scholarships and youth and family programming through the Parks and Recreation Department.
Rynbrandt said officials will be reviewing park needs and funding along with meeting with GWRCA to assess funding and programs.
As for the future of the carnival, Rynbrandt said the city is still reviewing all of its options.
“One thing people should be aware is that carnivals themselves are not bad and provide wonderful services in the city of Wyoming,” Rynbrandt said, emphasizing that none of the incidents took place at the carnival. Rynbrandt added that city officials want to wrap up this year’s event and then take a step back to look at everything such as location and time of year.
“Our number one priority is public safety,” Rynbrandt said. “As sponsor of the event we hold ourselves to a much higher accountability in that regards.”
Captain Kim Koster, from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety echoed the city’s commitment to safety of its residents and visitors. With safety at the forefront, Koster said the department is working with other organizers on upcoming city events.
“Our Department of Public Safety has and will continue to worked with the Wyoming Kentwood Chamber of Commerce and the participating businesses to determine and provide the appropriate level of police presence for the Metro Cruise, and we are always happy to work with other community organizations to plan for similar events.,” Koster said. “Similarly, public safety has worked with the Community Clean-Up Day [which takes place this Saturday] committee to determine the appropriate level of police presence for the day’s activities.”
