GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A 60-year-old man was fatally shot early Sunday morning on the northeast side of Grand Rapids.
But the Grand Rapids Police Department says Jeffrey Matthews was not the intended target, and he was in the "wrong place at the wrong time," a release said.
Around 2:30 a.m. police started receiving calls about a shots fired on Clancy Avenue NE near Cedar Street NE. Moments later, another call came in saying someone had been shot.
Officers arrived to the neighborhood and found Matthews suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital where he died hours later, police said.
Matthews' death has been ruled a homicide, according to Sgt. Cathy Williams with the GRPD. Investigators have been working on this case since Sunday, but no one has been arrested yet.
Police said there was a large crowd on the same block where Matthews was shot, and investigators are "leaning toward the possibility that there may be dozens of witnesses that have yet to come forward."
GRPD Detective Sgt. John Purlee said the case is a tragedy.
"We have reason to believe that Mr. Mathews was not the intended target and the bullet was meant for someone else. The death of this man is a tragedy, and his family has unanswered questions. We need to locate the person who was the intended target as well as the shooter before we have a retaliation shooting and another life is lost," said Purlee.
This is the city's 11th homicide this year.
If you have any information regarding this case you may contact one of the investigators directly or anonymously leave information with Silent Observer at www.silentobserver.org.
- Sgt. John Purlee (616) 456-3343
- Det. Adam Baylis (616) 456-3648
- Det. Kelli Braate (616) 456-4548
- Det. Jim Jorgensen (616) 456-4151
RELATED: City leaders implore community to end 'code of silence' surrounding recent gun violence in GR
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