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Over 30 rounds fired at house while kids slept inside

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Grand Rapids homeowner says more than 30 rounds were fired at her house while her grandkids were sleeping inside.

Jewellynne Richardson said it happened around 1 a.m. Monday at her house on Eastern Avenue SE near Wealthy Street.

“Gunfire coming through the house, going (directly) over two of the children’s heads,” Richardson said.

Richardson or “Mama Jewel” was named the winner of ABC 4’s 2022 Remarkable Women of West Michigan

Hours before the gunfire, Richardson spent the day being recognized for her contribution to the community at an event in Grand Rapids.

“It was an ultimate high and my family was able to attend,” Richardson said.

Her seven grandkids, ranging in age from a toddler to a teenager, went to her house afterward for a sleepover.

She said everyone was asleep when shots were fired from outside.

“Gunfire just going off back to back to back,” she said. “No way to get up (or) to run or anything… many of the children laid there paralyzed.”

One of the bullets went into the wall above the couch where her 13-year-old granddaughter was sleeping.

“I seen it fly past my head right there,” her granddaughter told News 8. “I was so scared.”

Fortunately, no one hit.

However, the incident has left the family shaken.

“There’s a definite increase in gun violence in the city of Grand Rapids,” Richardson said. “It’s a lack of total respect for human life.”

While she doesn’t believe the shooting was random, Richardson told News 8 she doesn’t know why her home would be targeted.

Grand Rapids police were called to investigate, arriving at the home with a forensics team to process the scene.

Richardson said it took close to an hour for police to arrive. News 8 reached out to GRPD about the response time. 

A spokesperson responded by saying several factors can affect wait times and all calls for services are rated to prioritize resources. 

“That being said, the department will review the call logs from early this morning to determine if the call was prioritized, dispatched, and responded to in an appropriate manner,” GRPD spokesperson Jennifer Kalczuk responded in a statement.