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Homeless man's death ruled homicide

Submitted by WZZM13, News Staff
Monday, August 3rd, 2015, 5:01pm


GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) -- Kent County's medical examiner has determined the death of a homeless man whose body was found Saturday is a homicide.

Around 11:40 a.m. Saturday, Grand Rapids police took a call from someone who lives in the apartments in the 2900 block of Marshall Ave SE. The caller said her neighbor had just found a relative dead in the woods.

Police say the man's body was about 200 yards south of the apartments near the Plaster Creek Trail.

Police and fire personnel tried reviving him but were unsuccessful.

The man has been identified by family as Joseph Conigliaro, 53. Conigliaro had been homeless for at least two months and lived in the wooded area.

The medical examiner performed an autopsy Monday. Police at this point aren't releasing information about how exactly Conigliaro died.

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Man recovering after being shot in the leg overnight

Submitted by WZZM13, News Staff
Sunday, July 26th, 2015, 3:11pm


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) -- A man is recovering after being shot in the leg overnight Sunday.

Police say it happened just after 4:15 a.m. Sunday near the corner of Cromwell Avenue and Humbolt Street in Grand Rapids.

The victim was taken to the hospital and it expected to be okay.

Police are still looking for the suspect. If you have any information, you are asked to call the Grand Rapids Police Department.


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Couple's apartment vandalized with 'white power', N-word graffiti

Submitted by WZZM13, News Staff
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2015, 6:16pm


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) – Grand Rapids police are investigating racist graffiti scrawled at a low income housing complex near downtown as a possible hate crime.

A couple returning home from Benton Harbor Tuesday night found racist sayings and words covering their mailbox, window and door at Lenox apartments on South Division Avenue at Goodrich Street.

The hand-written comments included 'white power,' the 'N' word, coon and other epithets. Power to their apartment was also shut off, causing food to spoil while they were out-of-town for three days.

Dwelling Place Chief Operating Officer Kim Cross says this is the first case of racist graffiti at the Lenox complex, adding it appears to be an isolated incident. The Dwelling Place operates more than two dozen housing complexes for low-income families in West Michigan.

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Industry fair for minority students promotes tech careers

Submitted by Amir Abbas on Tuesday, July 21st, 11:59 pm


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) - Trying to help local African-Americans by exposing them to a growing industry was the goal Tuesday night at a southeast Grand Rapids technology fair.

"Grand Rapids is ranked as one of the worst places for African-Americans in the country," said fair co-organizer Jonathan Jelks. He put it together with Alvin Hills. They grew up on the southeast side of Grand Rapids.

They described this event at the Baxter Community Center as outreach to young people, women, and minorities. About a dozen tech companies attended. Jelks and Hills said they wanted an industry that provides opportunities.

"This is a step in the right direction, to hopefully make our students aware of the job opportunities in tech," said Jelks.

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Surveillance video shows Rapid bus get hit by bullet

Submitted by Sarah Sell, WZZM Reporter
Monday, July 20th, 2015, 8:33pm


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., (WZZM) - We're getting our first look inside a Rapid bus at the moment a bullet hit one of its windows.

It happened the night of July 14 at the corner of Burton and Kalamazoo. The bus had several passengers on board at the time.

In surveillance video, you can see passengers react as something hits the window. Glass can be seen shattering and landing on a passenger.

The bus eventually pulled over, and Grand Rapids police were called to the scene.

Investigators don't know what kind of weapon was used to shoot at the window, but they did find at least one hole. So far, there have been no arrests in the case.


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Squirrel to blame for Grand Rapids power outage

Submitted by WZZM13, News Staff
Monday, July 20th, 2015, 6:35pm


GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) -- More than 7,700 Consumers Energy customers lost power after a substation failed on the southeast side of Grand Rapids.

The outage happened around 2:20 p.m. Monday when a squirrel entered substation one at Godwin Ave. and Crofton St. SE, a Consumers Energy spokesperson told WZZM 13.

Crews had service restored shortly after 6 p.m.

RELATED: Consumers Energy outage map

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My Town: Grand Rapids youth police academy expected to have 'a huge payoff'

Submitted by Anonymous on Monday, July 20th, 6:00 am
My Town: Grand Rapids youth police academy expected to have 'a huge payoff'

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM)— The final youth police academy of the season begins this week.

The Grand Rapids Police Department announced the return of the program in February. The first session took place June 22; the second program starts on July 20. The academy is open to high school sophomores, juniors and seniors in the Kent County area who might be interested in a career in law enforcement.

City officials hope the academy will inspire a new generation of officers.

"Our hope and our belief is some number of years down the line, this is going to have a huge payoff," City Manager Greg Sundstrom said earlier this year.

For more information, visit the Grand Rapids Police Department's website.

 

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