Grand Rapids Police have charged 17-year-old Cartiyae Pascal as an adult in the shooting death of 15-year-old Amillier Penn, who was killed while playing football with friends on the night of June 2, 2024. As FOX 17 reported, the arraignment took place on Tuesday in 61st District Court on open murder and weapon charges. The incident that occurred on Umatilla Street near Madison Avenue has shaken the Grand Rapids community, with police Chief Eric Winstrom emphasizing the case's significance, as he told WWMT, "The brazen murder of a 15-year-old child, out playing football with his friends, is one that I hope our city will never forget."
Pascal was already in custody related to another shooting incident from September 1, 2024, which, according to GRPD officials, was captured on security cameras. Pascal was charged with attempted murder after reportedly firing at an individual multiple times outside a convenience store. This evidence, along with tips that came in after the case was featured in an episode of "All Access PD: Grand Rapids," helped to provide new leads. According to a statement obtained by FOX 17, Chief Winstrom acknowledged the community's help, stating, "There was a significant amount of interest, again, from the community. We got a lot of tips on silent observer and other people contacting us some information that was very helpful."
Moreover, documents from the court reveal multiple witnesses claimed Pascal had admitted to the killing of Penn. Despite difficulties in clearly identifying Pascal on surveillance video from the Penn shooting, investigators discovered digital evidence on Pascal's phone, linking him to the homicide, per court documents cited by woodtv. Corey Penn, Amillier Penn's father, shared a mix of emotions upon hearing the news, expressing both sadness and relief that there was a sense of justice.
The tragic death of Penn has also prompted the community to come together, with the hope of designating a stretch of Umatilla Street as "Amillier Penn Way," a public hearing for which is scheduled for June 10, according to woodtv. Penn’s case highlights ongoing concerns over youth violence in Grand Rapids, with Winstrom urging the community to reject the "code of the street" in favor of cooperation and timely justice. "When a 15-year-old boy is murdered, that is not the time to say, 'I'm going to hold to the code of the street, I'm not going to be a snitch, I'm not going to talk,'" Winstrom stated in an interview with woodtv. "That is the time to say, 'We're all in this world together. We're all humans. We need to act like we care about each other and love each other.'"
