GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — A young man appeared in a Michigan court charged with murder on Friday, three days after a dispute outside a school over what police say Who can play a casual game of soccer It escalated into a fatal shooting that killed a teenager and a woman who was trying to help him.
Grand Rapids police also said in a lawsuit that Rafael Martinez Lopez, 18, tried to shoot another child but the weapon did not go off.
Two schools were temporarily closed this week in the western Michigan city as the community tries to deal with Tuesday’s tragedy.
“Someone stole from me, and that’s something I can’t get back,” said Mildred Griffin, the mother of Jeremiah Griffin Cuevas, who died.
“Youth group every Wednesday, and church every Sunday when he was a 15-year-old,” Griffin told WOOD-TV. “I know what I was raising, a young man, not a thuggish young man.”
Martinez Lopez admitted to murder and other charges during a brief court appearance and was ordered to remain in jail without bail. His lawyer, Craig Jennison, said he had no criminal record. A message seeking additional comment from Jennison was not immediately returned.
Police said Jeremiah was shot after Martinez-Lopez’s younger brother asked to play soccer with a group of children but was denied.
Savannah Rubio, 38, also known as Savannah Villarreal, was shot and killed while trying to help Jeremiah, police said.
“She sacrificed her life to save my son. He considered Savannah his aunt,” Griffin said.