GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The man who was killed in a shooting on the southeast side of Grand Rapids on the Fourth of July has been identified as Christopher Michael Byrom, 30.
The shooting happened around 10:22 p.m. near the intersection of Sycamore Street SE and Jefferson Avenue SE as a large group of people were setting off fireworks.
Police said Byrom was shot and killed at the scene.
GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom said detectives were unsure if the gunfire was celebratory or if he was targeted.
The Kent County Medical Examiner's Office has since ruled Byrom's death a homicide.
There were dozens of people, including children on the street where it happened.
"So as the officers approached, literally there were kids so close that they became part of the crime scene. You see the tape here, right behind me. And it was several blocks that we had to cordon off. And there were a lot of family members that we had to escort, including the young ones, away from where forensic evidence was located," Winstrom said.
The chief said Byrom's loved ones tried to take him to the hospital but that was unsuccessful.
Investigators do believe the shooting took place outside and not in one of the nearby homes.
No one has been arrested and the case remains under investigation.
If you have any information that could help police, you're asked to call detectives at 616-456-3380 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345 or www.silentobserver.org.
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