GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Police continue to investigate a weekend shooting that happened during an illegal pop-up party on the Blue Bridge.
Officers were called to the west side of the bridge around 3:40 a.m. Sunday. No one was injured but responding officers told News 8 a vehicle was hit by gunfire.
“If I think about it, where the bullet hole was at that’s where my head would have been,” the van’s owner Micheal Dykema told News 8. “I would have got hit if I didn’t move quick enough.”
Dykema said he was invited to the pop-up party by friends. He said the party initially started out as peaceful with music and hundreds of people packed on to the bridge. When the gunfire started, Dykema said he ran and hid near the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
“I heard the first four shots and I was gone,” he said.
It was only after the scene cleared that he talked with police.
“They told me not to move it until they get it investigated,” he said.
Last year, a number of illegal parties and nearby crime led the Grand Rapids Police Department to close the bridge overnight. Police blocked off access to the area between midnight and 6 a.m. after four people were injured during a shooting on Sept. 11, 2022.
The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce released the following statement in response to the weekend shooting:
“One of our top priorities is a vibrant and welcoming city that is the hub of regional employment, entertainment, tourism and growth. Safety is a priority not just in downtown but across the community and metro area.”
Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce
Grand Rapids police have not confirmed if additional safety precautions will be taken in response to Sunday’s shooting.