2011 Grand Rapids, Michigan mass murder
Encyclopedia
On July 7, 2011, a gunman killed seven people and wounded two others in a mass murder
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
. The deaths took place in two homes, with the two non-fatal gunshot injuries taking place on the road. The suspected gunman, Rodrick Shonte Dantzler, later killed himself after holding three people hostage in a third home following a police chase. Those killed included Dantzler's estranged wife, their daughter, his former girlfriend, and members of the other victims' families. One of the non-fatal victims was also acquainted with Dantzler.
against him. In addition, three other women had filed protection orders against Dantzler from him threatening to abuse them and their property. Also in 1995, Dantzler set fire to his mother's house. In 1997, he was convicted of domestic violence and destroying property. Dantzler was charged with assault in 2000 in which he was involved in shooting someone in a road rage incident; he was sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison. In prison, Dantzler took part in programs to prevent anger and got the equivalent of a high school diploma. He was released from prison in 2005.
Following his release, Dantzler was said to be bipolar
and not taking his medication. He was also said to be getting disability money for his bipolar disorder. In 2010, Dantzler was charged with assault and battery, being sentenced to prison for a year. His mother described Dantzler as having "a very explosive temper and will act violently without thinking." Dantzler also used cocaine and alcohol the day of the shooting and was known to abuse alcohol. A few days before the shooting, Dantzler took his wife and daughter to Michigan's Adventure
in Muskegon
. During the week prior to the shooting, Dantzler's wife, Jennifer Heeren, was planning to separate from him and was reported to not be staying in the same house as Dantzler.
The police became involved when Dantzler's mother called police around 2:30 p.m., reporting that her son had called her to say he had shot his wife. Police went to his house on Janes Avenue NE, where he lived alone since his wife and daughter moved out, but found no one. Shortly afterward, the murder scenes on Plainfield Avenue and Brynell Court were discovered. Police arrived at the various scenes, closing down streets in the area and telling area residents to stay inside their homes.
Another victim was shot in an apparently random road rage incident near Godfrey Avenue and Oxford Street SW at 3:00 p.m. The victim, Robert Poore, was spared serious injury as the bullet was deflected by a titanium plate in his nose. At this point, Dantzler was driving a Lincoln Town Car
. He later abandoned that car and got into a GMC Suburban with another person, who eventually left the car.
At about 7:00 p.m., April Swanson, a female friend of Dantzler, called police to report that he was following her car. He shot her from his vehicle at Fulton Street and Division Avenue, with the woman suffering a serious but non-life-threatening arm injury. Police intervened by ramming Dentzler's vehicle, and they exchanged gunfire; no officers were shot. The suspect was chased by police, who attempted to disable his vehicle as he drove through downtown Grand Rapids, prior to briefly taking Interstate 196
west to northbound US 131
. Dantzler then turned onto eastbound Interstate 96
, where he crossed the median and continued eastward on the westbound lanes, and crashed into a freeway ditch around 7:15 p.m.
At this point, he exited his vehicle and ran on foot, entering a residence on Rickman Avenue NE in the northeastern part of Grand Rapids, not far from the killings on Brynell Court. He held Joyce Bean, her significant other Steve Helderman, and Meg Holmes hostage; Dantzler had no connection to them. Joyce Bean, who was 53 years old, was released from the house at about 9:30 p.m after Dantzler was given cigarettes and Gatorade
by police. Dantzler continued negotiations with police, at which point he was distraught and contemplating suicide. At 11:30 p.m., Dantzler released the two remaining hostages and fatally shot himself in the head.
Police believe that he was "hunting" his former girlfriends and that the pending separation from his wife was the reason for the shooting spree. Police said that Dantzler was carrying a large amount of ammunition. Dantzler used a stolen .40 caliber handgun
in the shootings.
Initial reports were that the handgun was a .40 S&W
, but police later identified it as a 9 mm Glock
pistol reported stolen 2 years earlier from a home northeast of Grand Rapids. It's not clear how Dantzler got the gun
, as well as praise on the Facebook
page of the Grand Rapids Police Department. In addition, a thank you note was written in sidewalk chalk outside the Grand Rapids Police Department. Huntington Bank is also taking donations for the families of the shooting victims. Hundreds of people attended a vigil for the shooting victims at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, near the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
, on the night of July 8, 2011. A benefit was held July 9 to raise money for the funeral of the victims of the Emkens family. On July 12, 2011, Grand Rapids mayor George Heartwell
honored the Grand Rapids Police Department for their handling of the situation. A community church service for the victims was held on July 13, 2011 at Second Congregational Church, with approximately 200 people attending. The funeral service for the three members of the Emkens family killed was held on July 13, 2011 at St. Jude Catholic Church while the funeral for the four Heeren family members that were killed was held on July 15, 2011 at Sunshine Community Church. In addition, the funeral for Rodrick Dantzler was held on July 15, 2011 at Ivy K. Gillespie Moody Memorial Chapel.
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. The deaths took place in two homes, with the two non-fatal gunshot injuries taking place on the road. The suspected gunman, Rodrick Shonte Dantzler, later killed himself after holding three people hostage in a third home following a police chase. Those killed included Dantzler's estranged wife, their daughter, his former girlfriend, and members of the other victims' families. One of the non-fatal victims was also acquainted with Dantzler.
Suspect
The suspected shooter is Rodrick Shonte Dantzler, a 34-year-old building technician from Grand Rapids. Dantzler was convicted as a juvenile for burglary in 1992, when he was 15 years old. During his childhood, Dantzler was without his father and lived with his stepfather who had used drugs. In 1995, his mother Victoria Dantzler kicked him out of the house at the age of 18 and filed a protection orderRestraining order
A restraining order or order of protection is a form of legal injunction that requires a party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. A party that refuses to comply with an order faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
against him. In addition, three other women had filed protection orders against Dantzler from him threatening to abuse them and their property. Also in 1995, Dantzler set fire to his mother's house. In 1997, he was convicted of domestic violence and destroying property. Dantzler was charged with assault in 2000 in which he was involved in shooting someone in a road rage incident; he was sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison. In prison, Dantzler took part in programs to prevent anger and got the equivalent of a high school diploma. He was released from prison in 2005.
Following his release, Dantzler was said to be bipolar
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
and not taking his medication. He was also said to be getting disability money for his bipolar disorder. In 2010, Dantzler was charged with assault and battery, being sentenced to prison for a year. His mother described Dantzler as having "a very explosive temper and will act violently without thinking." Dantzler also used cocaine and alcohol the day of the shooting and was known to abuse alcohol. A few days before the shooting, Dantzler took his wife and daughter to Michigan's Adventure
Michigan's Adventure
Michigan's Adventure is a amusement park in Muskegon County, Michigan, about halfway between Muskegon, Michigan and Whitehall, Michigan. It is the largest amusement park in the state and has been owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company since 2001...
in Muskegon
Muskegon, Michigan
Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County...
. During the week prior to the shooting, Dantzler's wife, Jennifer Heeren, was planning to separate from him and was reported to not be staying in the same house as Dantzler.
Events
The spree began with the killing of seven victims in two separate homes. One of the shootings happened in a house on Plainfield Avenue NE, in which Dantzler's former girlfriend, her sister, and her sister's 10-year-old daughter were killed. Another shooting occurred at a house on Brynell Court NE in which Dantzler's estranged wife, their daughter, and his wife's parents (the home's owners), were killed.The police became involved when Dantzler's mother called police around 2:30 p.m., reporting that her son had called her to say he had shot his wife. Police went to his house on Janes Avenue NE, where he lived alone since his wife and daughter moved out, but found no one. Shortly afterward, the murder scenes on Plainfield Avenue and Brynell Court were discovered. Police arrived at the various scenes, closing down streets in the area and telling area residents to stay inside their homes.
Another victim was shot in an apparently random road rage incident near Godfrey Avenue and Oxford Street SW at 3:00 p.m. The victim, Robert Poore, was spared serious injury as the bullet was deflected by a titanium plate in his nose. At this point, Dantzler was driving a Lincoln Town Car
Lincoln Town Car
The Lincoln Town Car is a full-size luxury sedan that was sold by the upscale Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company; it was produced from 1981 to the 2011 model years...
. He later abandoned that car and got into a GMC Suburban with another person, who eventually left the car.
At about 7:00 p.m., April Swanson, a female friend of Dantzler, called police to report that he was following her car. He shot her from his vehicle at Fulton Street and Division Avenue, with the woman suffering a serious but non-life-threatening arm injury. Police intervened by ramming Dentzler's vehicle, and they exchanged gunfire; no officers were shot. The suspect was chased by police, who attempted to disable his vehicle as he drove through downtown Grand Rapids, prior to briefly taking Interstate 196
Interstate 196
Interstate 196 is a long freeway spur route in the US state of Michigan linking Grand Rapids, Holland, South Haven, and Benton Harbor. I-196 is known as the Gerald R. Ford Freeway, or simply the Ford Freeway, in Kent, Ottawa, and Allegan Counties, after the 38th President of the United States,...
west to northbound US 131
U.S. Route 131
US Highway 131 is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.67 miles of its 266.82 miles are within the state of Michigan. The highway starts in rural Indiana south of the state line as a state road connection to the Indiana Toll Road...
. Dantzler then turned onto eastbound Interstate 96
Interstate 96
Interstate 96 is an intrastate Interstate Highway that is entirely within the US state of Michigan. Its western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 and Business US Highway 31 , on the western boundary of Norton Shores southeast of Muskegon. Its eastern terminus is at I-75 near the...
, where he crossed the median and continued eastward on the westbound lanes, and crashed into a freeway ditch around 7:15 p.m.
At this point, he exited his vehicle and ran on foot, entering a residence on Rickman Avenue NE in the northeastern part of Grand Rapids, not far from the killings on Brynell Court. He held Joyce Bean, her significant other Steve Helderman, and Meg Holmes hostage; Dantzler had no connection to them. Joyce Bean, who was 53 years old, was released from the house at about 9:30 p.m after Dantzler was given cigarettes and Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
by police. Dantzler continued negotiations with police, at which point he was distraught and contemplating suicide. At 11:30 p.m., Dantzler released the two remaining hostages and fatally shot himself in the head.
Police believe that he was "hunting" his former girlfriends and that the pending separation from his wife was the reason for the shooting spree. Police said that Dantzler was carrying a large amount of ammunition. Dantzler used a stolen .40 caliber handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
in the shootings.
Victims
Dantzler killed seven people in two homes. At the home on Plainfield Avenue, he killed 27-year-old Amanda Emkens along with her 10-year-old daughter Marisa Emkens and her 23-year-old sister Kimberlee Emkens. Kimberlee Emkens was a former girlfriend of Dantzler, although the two had not been in recent contact. At the home on Brynell Court, the suspect killed 29-year-old Jennifer Heeren along with her 12-year-old daughter Kamrie Dantzler and her parents Thomas Heeren, 51, and Rebecca Heeren, 52. Jennifer Heeren was the estranged wife of Dantzler and both had Kamrie Heeren-Dantzler as a daughter; the suspect's relationship with Heeren was abusive.Initial reports were that the handgun was a .40 S&W
.40 S&W
The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could...
, but police later identified it as a 9 mm Glock
Glock
Glock Ges.m.b.H. is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock...
pistol reported stolen 2 years earlier from a home northeast of Grand Rapids. It's not clear how Dantzler got the gun
Aftermath
On the morning of July 8, 2011, flowers and other items were left outside of the home on Plainfield Avenue where the shootings occurred. Several residents expressed their grief concerning the murders onto MyGR6, a social media initiative sponsored by AmwayAmway
Amway is a direct selling company and manufacturer that uses network marketing to sell a variety of products, primarily in the health, beauty, and home care markets. Amway was founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos...
, as well as praise on the Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page of the Grand Rapids Police Department. In addition, a thank you note was written in sidewalk chalk outside the Grand Rapids Police Department. Huntington Bank is also taking donations for the families of the shooting victims. Hundreds of people attended a vigil for the shooting victims at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, near the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is part of the Presidential Libraries System of the National Archives and Records Administration, a federal agency. Unlike most other presidential libraries and museums, Ford's are two geographically separate buildings. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential...
, on the night of July 8, 2011. A benefit was held July 9 to raise money for the funeral of the victims of the Emkens family. On July 12, 2011, Grand Rapids mayor George Heartwell
George Heartwell
George Heartwell is the mayor of the city of Grand Rapids in the US state of Michigan. He was sworn in on January 1, 2004, and is currently serving his third term.-Career:...
honored the Grand Rapids Police Department for their handling of the situation. A community church service for the victims was held on July 13, 2011 at Second Congregational Church, with approximately 200 people attending. The funeral service for the three members of the Emkens family killed was held on July 13, 2011 at St. Jude Catholic Church while the funeral for the four Heeren family members that were killed was held on July 15, 2011 at Sunshine Community Church. In addition, the funeral for Rodrick Dantzler was held on July 15, 2011 at Ivy K. Gillespie Moody Memorial Chapel.