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GRPD says additional staff would not have prevented recent violence

"Arrests will not solve this problem; it takes a community to solve them," said GRPD Deputy Chief Eric Payne.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As thousands enjoyed the annual fireworks celebration in downtown Grand Rapids Saturday night, hundreds of teens fought, a man was shot and killed and three other people were injured by gunfire.

"I'd like to emphasize, I believe that this is a safe city," said Grand Rapids Police Deputy Chief Eric Payne on Monday. "But, it does have big city problems."

Payne said thankfully most of those enjoying the fireworks were unaware of the violence that erupted blocks away. 

VIOLENCE UNFOLDS

According to Payne, between 200 and 300 teens were seemingly dropped off in the downtown area with the intention of fighting. Three juveniles were arrested during the fight, and Payne said they were between the ages of 13 and 19. The department deployed bike cops to break up the fight. In total, there were 100 GRPD officers downtown. 

"We had enough officers on scene, but when you have 200 to 300 youths out there... that are not being supervised, with the intention of fighting," Payne said. "It creates a problem for the officers." 

Payne spoke during a Monday afternoon press conference addressing the most recent violence, he filled in for Interim Chief David Kiddle. Payne is currently one of two candidates in the running to become the new police chief. 

The two Saturday shootings happened within minutes of each other. The first happened near Pearl Street and Summer Avenue NW around 10:30 p.m. A 17-year-old and 19-year-old male were taken to the hospital for gunshot wounds as a result, but both are expected to be okay. Payne said the shooting was possibly related to the large fight. 

Ten minutes later, a 20-year-old man, now identified as Saul Espinoza, was shot and killed near Fish Ladder Park. A woman was also injured in that shooting and was taken to the hospital for surgery. Police do not believe the two shootings were related. 

POLICE UNION RESPONDS 

The recent uptick in violence, including a string of 10 shootings, led city leaders, police and community members to hold a press conference last week at Joe Taylor Park, the scene of one of the more recent shootings.

Related: Arrests made in 3 of 10 shootings 

The 'Stop the Violence' rally was criticized this weekend by the Grand Rapids Police Officers Association. 

In a Sunday Facebook post, the GRPOA said: "The recent and continued violence is the direct result of city officials not properly staffing and supporting the police department. To allow the police department to be constantly scrutinized discourages any type of proactive enforcement necessary to keep Grand Rapids safe. It is evident that stop the violence rallies have no affect on criminal activity. It's time to let GRPD get back to policing."

GRPD's staff has been a topic of discussion for years. The department had more than 400 officers a decade ago, to police a smaller population. Now, the department has 295 sworn-in officers. Earlier this year, an independent firm concluded that GRPD did not need more staff, despite former Chief David Rahinsky's repeated asks for additional officers. In the budget plan for 2020, City Manager Mark Washington still allotted for several more officers. 

However, Deputy Chief Payne said additional staff would still not have prevented what occurred this weekend. 

“Had we been approved for 10, 20, 50 officers in this last budget cycle, that would not have prevented what occurred this last weekend," he said. 

Payne did not directly denounce the union's Facebook post, but said the city has shown their continued support throughout the recent gun violence. 

"We are all working together, and the police cannot solve this alone. Arrests will not solve this problem; it takes community to solve them," Payne said. 

Members of the police union were not available for further comment. 

► Emma Nicolas is a multimedia journalist. Have a news tip or question for Emma? Get in touch by email, Facebook or Twitter.

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