An 18-year-old has been charged in connection to the shooting death of a 15-year-old girl in downtown Grand Rapids that occurred earlier this year, per the offices of Grand Rapids Police and the Kent County Prosecutor. The suspect, Josiah Tyree Pittman, is facing second-degree murder and felony firearm charges after the fatal shooting of La-kyijah Williams, who was not the intended target, according to reports from WOOD TV. Pittman was arraigned with the potential to spend life in prison if convicted.
On the evening of May 18, La-kyijah Williams was shot while simply riding her scooter near Studio Park in the Ottawa Avenue SW area. Firing into a crowd, the shooter exhibited recklessness with a complete disregard for the safety of others, a sentiment echoed by Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom, who described the shooting as "extremely cowardly." Prosecutor Chris Becker explained that the crime was not random, yet tragic, further highlighting that Williams was merely downtown and not the target. Whether Pittman intended to ideally bring about a different conclusion to his alleged actions remains untold, as per WOOD TV.
Loved ones remember Williams as a spirited and happy youngster. Her sister LaMia Foster shared with WOOD TV that La-kyijah was "the happiest person I know." The family is steeped in grief over a future cut tragically short, and the vibrant memories of Williams' affection for basketball and her involvement with her nieces and nephews now stand as a testament to what has been lost.
Without pause, the Grand Rapids Police Department, along with the community, has worked to unravel the incident. Working tirelessly, detectives leveraged investigative subpoenas to extract crucial testimonies, leading to the eventual arrest of Pittman. In statements captured by WZZM 13, Chief Winstrom praised the community for their refusal "to be a city that tolerates one of our children getting murdered, and not following through." The prosecutor's office and the police have underlined the cooperative nature of witnesses and local businesses in bringing about progress in this harrowing case.
