ALLENDALE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — All the victims who were shot at an apartment complex in Allendale Township are believed to be released from the hospital, according to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office.
A week ago, four people were shot at Canvas Townhomes, an off-campus student housing complex near Grand Valley State University’s campus.
It happened after a home football game as students were celebrating family weekend with loved ones.
Crowds continued to gather into the night. The shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 18.
One person was found on scene with an apparent gunshot wound while three other people showed up to local hospitals. Those three victims were released from the hospital within the day while the other remained hospitalized.
The sheriff’s office continues to investigate the shooting as no arrests have been made.
“It’s a very complex investigation as it appears there were multiple shots fired by multiple different people,” Cpt. Jacob Sparks said. “I’d rather be thorough than quick. Our investigative team has been on it all week.”
Approximately 20 shots were fired, according to Sparks.
The bullets damaged students’ vehicles and went through some of the apartment buildings where they live.
Students recalled one of the tenant’s hosting a large party inside the unit. There was a fight that happened, which led to the party getting shut down. However, crowds gathered again and it is believed that that same verbal altercation led to the shooting.
“I came upstairs to get a juice box and was walking by the door and I just heard … six or seven shots,” Joe Ernest told News 8 last week in an interview.
“Once we get to a point where we are sure exactly who shot, who they shot and the circumstances surrounding that, we’ll be sure to send our investigation over to the prosecuting attorney’s office and they’ll review it for criminal charges,” Sparks said. “Hopefully, we have some update on that in the coming days.”
Several traffic stops were made after the shooting and firearms related to the incident were seized.
Detectives have interviewed “dozens of witnesses” and have spoken with the victims to understand what happened that early Sunday morning.
“We do believe we know some of the people involved in the shooting,” he said. “Hopefully, we have some update on that in the coming days.”
The shooting at Canvas Townhomes was the second shooting there within a month. No one was injured during that Aug. 27 incident.
“It’s disappointing and concerning for us. We know incidents that occur around our campus impact our community our students and that’s why we work so closely with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s office to try to prevent that as much as possible,” Cpt. Jeff Stoll, GVSU’s assistant director of public safety, said.
News 8 reached out to Canvas Townhomes and received this statement:
“The safety, security, and well-being of our residents is our top priority. We are fully supporting law enforcement in their investigation of the incident. We are coordinating with security to increase efforts to keep our community safe.
“We met with residents and parents throughout the day on Sunday, hearing their concerns and sharing in their sadness. We care deeply for our residents and pride ourselves on the positive communities we create.
“We are coordinating with our security partner, Absolute Security, to increase vehicle and foot patrols for the safety of our community. Absolute Security and Ottawa County Sheriffs were on site when the incident occurred early Sunday morning, and they took swift action. We are grateful for their support.
Canvas Townhomes
We will continue to assist in finding appropriate trauma and mental health resources to support residents.”
According to the sheriff’s office and GVSU Department of Public Safety, both law enforcement agencies meet at least monthly with the apartment complexes that surround the Allendale Township campus. There are approximately 10 in the area.
They discuss ways to get control of underage drinking, large gatherings and disorderly conduct.
“We try to all work together in this and we do have additional patrol in those areas,” Cpt. Sparks said. “We have deputies that are out on patrol in all of the apartment complexes.”
He added that people should be careful about what they post on social media.
“I think that’s how this incident began with some unwanted guests at this party,” he said. “If you intend to have a social gathering, a party, a get together and you post it on social media and it gets passed onto social media and friends of friends and their friends, you can end up with a situation where certain people are invited and now it’s out there in public on social media and you get people responding who were never invited to the party.”
News 8 will keep you updated as this story develops.
