GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A woman was killed in a stabbing Wednesday morning in downtown Grand Rapids.
The attack happened just before 9:30 a.m. on Division Avenue near Bartlett Street, according to the Grand Rapids Police Department.
The suspect then turned the knife on himself several, said police. He is in the hospital receiving medical care.
The likelihood of his survival is unknown.
Police Chief Eric Winstrom said it likely started as a domestic situation. There is no believed threat to the public.
Police are looking into whether there was any past history of calls to 911 concerning the suspect or victim.
The attack happened right outside Catholic Central High School, but did not impact the school day, per the chief.
Watch Chief Winstrom's press conference below
“I see commotion, and I look and he's hitting her with something. I threw my cigarette down and ran over there,” said Louis Warner.
He was outside taking a work break from Senior Neighbors around 9:30 in the morning. He says the suspect was on top of the victim in the business’s doorway.
Warner said, “I tried to pull the knife out of his hand. I sliced his hand wider, just terribly bad. And I looked and she was unresponsive.”
At that moment he tried to separate the pair.
“He's got a hold of her, so I'm trying to pick both bodies up. And finally, he just went limp, and I got... was able to get the knife and toss it," said Warner.
When police arrived, they found a woman stabbed to death.
Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Winstrom said, “Preliminary reports are it seems like it's likely a domestic situation.”
The chief says the suspect was also badly injured.
“The offender actually stabbed himself numerous times and is in critical condition himself, transported to a local area hospital,” said Chief Winstrom.
The incident happened at the corner of Division and Goodrich across the street from Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
“A lot of people, it was something that they didn't expect to see today, and really devastating for the neighborhood,” said Chief Winstrom.
One person in the area who knew the pair says occasionally he would see them argue.
James Bischoff said, “They always fought. He's kind of the jealous kind of man, and he always got mad with somebody else talking to his woman without his permission.”
Police say this type of violence is not typical for the Heartside neighborhood.
Chief Winstrom said, “It's still a very safe area that doesn't make the pain of losing a human life today any easier, but this [is] clearly a domestic situation and something that as a city, and certainly as a police department, we've been focusing on.”
Chief Winstrom says this was an isolated incident and students at the school were never in danger.
Anyone with information on this deadly assault is asked to contact the Grand Rapids Police Department at (616) 456-3380. Tips can be submitted anonymously through Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345.
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