GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Police are releasing more information after three bodies were found on the street in a Grand Rapids neighborhood Monday, all within blocks of each other.
Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom sat down with 13 ON YOUR SIDE Tuesday afternoon to give more details on the case.
Grand Rapids Police responded to the Burton Heights neighborhood after several people called 911 to report a man and a woman bloodied in the street in two separate areas just before noon.
One of the victims was found in the area of Melville Street SE and Horton Avenue SE, while the other was found near Melville Street Southeast and Francis Avenue Southeast.
Police said both victims had been fatally shot and left lying in the street. Both deaths were ruled homicides.
Family and police identified the woman as 20-year-old Anayia Rodriguez.
Family of Rodriguez said she was sweet, funny and good to her family and friends. She always had a smile on her face and thought positively.
Rodriguez graduated from East Kentwood High School and was a leader in cheer and her community, her family says.
Police identified the male victim as 19-year-old Malik Eubanks. Loved ones of Rodriguez said he was her boyfriend.
"We lost three young people, those three young people have loved ones, at least one of them was a father," said Winstrom.
He believes it's possible Eubanks and Rodriguez were shot in a different location or in a car and dropped at the scene, as the 911 calls were for bodies in the street, not shots fired in the area.
“If, in fact, they were dumped, there's a lot of consideration in that, it could be a kidnapping, a carjacking,” said Winstrom, “when you think of two bodies being dumped, you think of all the terrible criminal elements that are involved in this.”
“As a police officer, it gives you a lot more to think about," he said.
Authorities said Eubanks' two-year-old son was found wandering the streets alone about a mile away from the crime scene, unharmed but with blood on him. They said he is now with his mother.
Winstrom said that based on the blood, the toddler was likely there for one or both shootings.
“Physically, the child is doing well,” said Winstrom. "At that age, less than three years old, we're not going to get that much information out of him. But I'm sure that he will likely live with the impacts of the trauma."
Hours after police discovered the bodies of Rodriguez and Eubanks, another man was shot and killed in the 2000 block of Horton Avenue Southeast. Police said they can't yet say with certainty if this shooting death is connected to theirs, though all were found in the same neighborhood.
The third victim was identified as 32-year-old Darryl Yarber. His death has also been ruled a homicide.
“Yesterday was an incredibly tragic day for this neighborhood and for our city as the lives of three young people were taken from us,” said Winstrom. “I know that many in this neighborhood and elsewhere are fearful following these shocking murders, but at this time, we believe these were very targeted incidents and there is no threat to the broader community. Residents have been very forthcoming with information, and I urge anyone who knows anything to come forward. We can all work together to bring justice for these three victims and their loved ones.”
Monday evening, a black Jeep was found about three miles from the crime scene, which police called a "vehicle of interest." Authorities gathered evidence from the car and towed it away.
Winstrom wouldn't confirm who the car belongs to or what was found inside the car, but says it's possible it was involved in one or both of the earlier murders.
After a gruesome day just steps from their front doors, neighbors are asking for more peace of mind. Police previously installed trailer cameras in the neighborhood, but they were removed earlier this year. Residents hoped Monday the cameras that once watched over their streets would return.
“It definitely is a different feel in Burton Heights than it even was a year ago,” said Winstrom. “It was a feeling of frustration, sadness, anger.”
"It is surprising because now we're scared because it's right in front of our houses," said two residents who wanted to remain anonymous. They live near the scene where the man was shot and killed Monday afternoon.
"She's been living in her house for 27 years and nothing like this has ever happened," one said.
The two told 13 ON YOUR SIDE they called 911 after hearing six shots around 3 p.m.
"She's scared," one added. "She wants to leave this neighborhood now. I'm the same way."
At the scene Monday, Winstrom said putting cameras in the area was a possibility. Tuesday morning, they were back.
“You’re going to see a lot more police presence in this neighborhood," he said.
"I'm quite certain that when we figure out what the... motive is for the killing, it's not going to help at all. We'll all still be quite devastated by this tragedy," said Winstrom.
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