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Inset, left to right: Savanah Villarreal (WOOD) and Jeremiah Cuevas-Griffin (WXMI). Background: The playground in Michigan where Villarreal and Cuevas-Griffin were killed (WWMT).
In Michigan, an 18-year-old is accused of fatally shooting a 14-year-old boy and a 39-year-old mother of eight after being refused participation in a casual soccer game at an elementary school.
The suspect, whose identity is yet to be disclosed, was apprehended shortly after the incident at a nearby home on Tuesday. Although formal charges are pending, authorities have detained him on murder suspicion, according to the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.
As detailed in a statement from the Grand Rapids Police Department, officers were dispatched around 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday to the vicinity of Oakland Ave SW and Rumsey Street SW following reports of gunshots.
Upon arriving at Southwest Elementary School, emergency responders discovered the two victims, both with severe injuries. The young boy was declared dead at the scene, while the woman was transported to a hospital, where she later died.
The confrontation reportedly occurred beside the school playground, where a mix of children and teenagers had assembled for a game, as noted by a local NBC affiliate WOOD report.
Interim Police Chief Joe Trigg told the station that the 18-year-old suspect approached the group and asked to participate in their soccer game. When the children declined, a verbal altercation ensued.
“A bunch of kids were playing at the park here, and the suspect approached, asked to engage in a game of soccer. For whatever reason, he was turned away,” Trigg said. “Did not like the fact that he was turned away so a verbal altercation started, which led to the suspect pulling out a firearm and shooting that juvenile. The adult female had came to the aid, verbally, of the juvenile victim so then she was targeted.”
Family members who spoke to Kalamazoo, Michigan, CBS affiliate WWMT identified the female victim as Savanah Villarreal, a mother of eight who they said was supervising the group of kids playing soccer due to previous incidents involving verbal harassment while playing on the field.
When the suspect allegedly opened fire on the 14-year-old, Villarreal intervened to defend the teen.
“She was so selfless, she loved children,” Angelita Tierrablanca, Villarreal’s sister, told the station.
The family also explained that the victim was friends with one of Villarreal’s sons.
The interim police chief described the shooting as “horrific” for the seven or eight juveniles who witnessed their friend being gunned down.
Local Fox affiliate WXMI identified the teenage victim as Jeremiah Cuevas-Griffin.
As a result of the violence, Grand Rapids Public Schools closed both Southwest Elementary and Southwest Middle High School to allow students and staff time to process the event.
“You should be able to go to the park and play and this is one of those senseless things that I have seen too many times,” resident Donny Irving told WWMT.
The investigation remains active as detectives work to finalize the case to present to prosecutors.