by:Justin Kollar, WOODTV.com staff
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Police department statistics show there has been so much crime in Grand Rapids recently that it’s difficult to point to a map and see any part of the city where there hasn’t been a shooting or other weapons-related offense.
Overall, with 27 homicides to date this year, that total has surpassed the totals of 2018 and 2019 combined.
Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Payne called the number “outrageous and disheartening" while speaking at a Thursday morning press conference near where one of the most recent victims, Nicholas Ingram, was shot and killed Sept. 11.
Chief Eric Payne said GRPD would again ramp up patrols this weekend, targeting criminals but also working to build a positive relationship with the community. Payne said officers would be strategic in their patrols, looking for people involved in crimes rather than low-level violations like cracked tailgates.