A mother and a teenager were shot dead in Michigan after an alleged dispute over a soccer match, according to reports. Jeremiah Cuevas-Griffin, 15, and Savanah Villarreal, a 39-year-old mother of seven, were shot dead near a school in Grand Rapids by 18-year-old Rafael Martinez-Lopez. Lopez was charged in connection with the killing on Thursday, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker told The Independent.
An initial statement from the Grand Rapids police revealed that the killing unfolded at 6:40 p.m. on May 5, with officers discovering the teenager and the mother near Southwest Elementary School. Both individuals had suffered life-threatening gunshot wounds. Grand Rapids interim police chief Joe Trigg told WOOD that the incident began earlier when the suspect approached a group of children.
“A bunch of kids were playing at the park here, and the suspect approached, asked to engage in a game of soccer. For whatever reason, he was turned away,” he said. “Did not like the fact that he was turned away, so a verbal altercation started, which led to the suspect pulling out a firearm and shooting that juvenile.”
Trigg added, “The adult female had came to the aid, verbally, of the juvenile victim, so then she was targeted.”
First responders tried life-saving measures, but the boy died from his injuries at the scene. The mom later died from her injuries at the hospital, the release says. The suspect fled the scene but was eventually taken into custody, according to police.
Martinez-Lopez has been charged with two counts of open murder, carrying a weapon with unlawful intent, violation of a school weapons-free zone, carrying a concealed weapon and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, Becker told The Independent. Angelita Tierrablanca, Villarreal’s sister, told WWMT that Cuevas-Griffin was a friend of the late mom’s son.
“She was just watching them because there's been several incidents here where they have been verbally attacked and things,” Tierrablanca said. “She was so selfless; she loved children.”
Tierrablanca launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for funeral costs and to support Villarreal’s husband and their seven children. According to the campaign, Villarreal is survived by children aged three to 17 years old. A GoFundMe page launched by Cuevas-Griffin’s family described him as a “young man whose life was taken far too soon.”
“Jeremiah was an amazing and bright young man - everyone who knew him loved his sweet and gentle spirit,” the page reads.
Mildred Griffin, the boy’s mother, told Fox 17 that her son considered Villarreal to be a member of their family. “She gave her life to save my son,” Griffin said. “He considered Savanah his auntie...She's been in his life his whole life. She was his babysitter.”
The Independent has contacted the Grand Rapids Police Department for comment.
