Chief: Christmas shooting 'justifiable'

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The Christmas night shooting that left a 34-year-old man dead will likely be classified as justifiable, GRPD Chief Kevin Belk told 24 Hour News 8.

Belk presented the 2012 crime statistics to the Grand Rapids City Commission on Tuesday and said of the 18 homicides in the city during the year, only two were justifiable.

Asked later if one of those was the Christmas night shooting, Belk said that unless something changes in the case, it will be ruled justifiable.

"Based on the information that we have at this time, we believe it is justifiable. There hasn't been a formal ruling based on that, but as far as a determination of responsibility, she was in custody, the prosecutor advised us to release her (from) custody," Belk said. "He's still looking at the matter, but based on my conversations with our investigators and with him, we believe that that is a justifiable homicide. Barring any unforseen development in that case, that's where we'll be."

That night, a 30-year-old woman shot Darwin Weathers to death in an apartment on Leonard NE. There were three children in the apartment at the time. It's not known if the kids witnessed the shooting.

Weathers had recently moved to Grand Rapids from Saginaw.

The woman was taken into custody that night and released a few days later.