GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Grand Rapids police are investigating a shooting that killed two men.

Officers were alerted to the incident just after 2:30 a.m. Thursday. The shooting happened in the 800 block of Martin Luther King Jr. St. SE, near the intersection of Eastern Avenue.

Police found both men at the scene and tried to revive them, to no avail. Authorities are withholding the victims’ names at this time.

GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom told News 8 the victims knew on another.

He said the killer is still at large. As of now, investigators believe the shooting wasn’t random and there is no threat to the public.

  • Grand Rapids police respond to a deadly shooting on Martin Luther King Jr. Street near Eastern Avenue SE in Grand Rapids.
  • Grand Rapids police respond to a deadly shooting on Martin Luther King Jr. Street near Eastern Avenue SE in Grand Rapids.

Martin Luther King Jr. St. between Dolbee and Eastern avenues was temporarily closed as detectives and forensic teams processed the scene, but the street has since reopened.

There was another deadly shooting in the same block six weeks ago. A 40-year-old man died on the scene.

Those who live in the area say they are not shocked.

“I’m not surprised,” said David Bryant, a resident who lives in the area. “There’s just a lot going on right now. It gets hot during the summer. Not ‘heat’ hot. I’m talking about in the streets hot.”

A photo of a bullet hole in a T-Mobile store on MLK Jr. Street and Eastern Avenue after a shooting. (June 23, 2022)

Police have analyzed the data of the concerning trend.

“Within a couple blocks of that intersection where were talking — that’s Martin Luther King and Eastern — over the past few years … it has had an increased level of violent crime as compared to other intersections in the area,” he said. “When we looked at the data it showed that it’s not getting better, it’s getting worse from last year.”

GRPD is rolling out a new program called Data Informed Community Engagement in an effort to curb the violence.

“Essentially we look at data from violent crime across the city and we identify the areas that we see have experienced an uptick in violent crime,” he said. “We are reaching out to neighborhood organizations and community members and stakeholders to say, ‘This is what … we’re seeing in the data. The police are going to do whatever we can to make a positive impact. What can you do to help us?'”

Anyone with information in this case is encouraged to contact Grand Rapids Police Department Major Case Team detectives at 616.456.3380 or send anonymous tips to Silent Observer online or by calling 616.774.2345.