Grand Rapids Man Dies in Shootout with Officers After Welfare Check

Grand Rapids, Michigan — On December 6, 2025, earlier in the day, a woman contacted Grand Rapids police to report a domestic situation involving a gun. She told officers that the 51-year-old man had threatened her. Although police went to the home, he refused to come to the door or speak with them.Hours later, the same woman called 911 again, this time reporting that the man was intoxicated, armed, and sending disturbing messages.

These escalating warnings prompted officers to return to the neighborhood to check on his welfare and prevent him from potentially hurting himself or others.While officers were preparing a careful approach to the home, they saw the man leave the house, get into a car, and drive away.Because he was reportedly armed, intoxicated, and had made threats, officers decided they had to stop him before he could reach anyone he had threatened.

After pulling him over on Tremont Boulevard, officers gave repeated commands for him to turn off the car. Within seconds of the traffic stop, the man opened fire from inside the vehicle, shooting multiple rounds toward the officers. The officers immediately returned fire, striking him several times.He was transported to a hospital, where he later died. The entire exchange of gunfire lasted only a few seconds. Family members have since revealed that he had been struggling emotionally following the unsolved killing of his son and had recently exhibited both despair and volatile behavior involving a firearm.