An 18-year-old suspect was taken into custody after the shooting near Southwest Elementary School.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A 14-year-old boy and an adult woman were killed Tuesday evening in a shooting near Southwest Elementary School after a dispute over a soccer game, Grand Rapids police said.
Police said officers were called about 6:37 p.m. to the area of Oakland Avenue SW and Rumsey Street in the city’s Roosevelt Park neighborhood. The shooting prompted Grand Rapids Public Schools to close Southwest Elementary School and Southwest Middle High School on Wednesday as investigators continued work at the scene.
Interim Police Chief Joe Trigg said the case began with a group of children playing soccer on school grounds. An 18-year-old man asked to join the game and was turned away, police said. The disagreement escalated, and the man pulled out a gun and fired. “This is a heartbreaking and senseless act of violence,” Trigg said.
Officers found the teenage boy and the woman with gunshot wounds. The boy died at the scene despite life-saving efforts. The woman was taken to a hospital, where she later died. Police said the suspect left the area but was found nearby and taken into custody. No other suspects were being sought.
The victims were identified in public reports as 14-year-old Jeremiah Griffin and Savanah Rubio. Police had not released full details about the relationship between the victims or the exact sequence of the confrontation. Investigators said several young people witnessed the shooting, adding to the trauma for families and school staff.
Grand Rapids Public Schools said the shooting happened after school hours and was not tied to an official school event. Still, the district closed both Southwest campuses Wednesday because of the investigation and the impact on students and employees. Crisis support was expected to be available for the school community.
The Grand Rapids Police Department’s Major Case Team was handling the investigation. Detectives were reviewing witness statements, physical evidence and any available video from the area. Formal charges had not been announced early Wednesday, and the suspect’s name was expected to be released after court proceedings.
The scene sits in a dense southwest-side neighborhood where homes, schools and playground spaces are close together. By Wednesday morning, the shooting had shifted the school grounds from a place for an evening game into an active homicide investigation.
Police said the investigation remained active Wednesday, May 6, with the suspect in custody and no continuing threat reported to the public.
Author note: Last updated May 6, 2026.