GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A person suspected of killing a 15-year-old girl in May has been caught.
From May 18, Josiah Pittman will be charged with murder in the death of La’Kyijah Williams.
On Monday, Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker and Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom told the press about the arrest and charges.
Becker said, “This was a terrible event.” “It is not just a violent act with no reason.” There was a goal. Miss Williams was not the goal, which is a shame. She was just downtown taking it easy when she was hit. It is a terrible accident, and we feel terrible for our family and what they have been through since then.
The shooter’s name was kept secret by both Becker and Winstrom, but they did say that La’Kyijah was not even with the person who was being shot.
Pittman is charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of using a gun to commit a crime. He could spend the rest of his life in jail if he is found guilty.
In May, there was a shooting in downtown Grand Rapids near Studio Park. Court records show that Pittman opened fire on La’Kyijah while he was riding a bike with some friends in an alley.
Video security and eyewitness accounts say Pittman pulled a gun out of his waistband and fired four times into the group Williams was with. Williams got hit in the back of the head.
Chief Winstrom said it was hard to look into the killings.
“When that incident happens outside in public, it gets more complicated,” he said. “Add to that the fact that this murder took place in downtown Grand Rapids where a lot of people were.”
When I got there that night, there were already dozens of people going by on bikes, on foot, and in cars. It was still two or three in the morning.
Just the number of people to talk to, the number of businesses to check out, and the number of places where surveillance video or other proof could be found are huge. So this was a very difficult task from a logistics point of view.
Pittman, 18, was charged on Monday afternoon. He is still being held by cops without bond.
People who knew La’Kyijah said it was unbelievable that he died just days after being shot.
It is been hard to find information about the case. Prosecutor Becker told the press conference on Monday that his office used investigative subpoenas to get witnesses to talk to detectives.
In July, Grand Rapids police released a video of five young people running away from the scene of the killing and asked the public to help them find possible witnesses.
Winstrom and Becker both say that Pittman’s arrest is a small example of how those efforts to make the city less dangerous have paid off.
“It is difficult to talk about a decrease in crime when there is a name for every murder victim in this case,” Winstrom said. “That name is La’Kyijah.”
