Suspect taken into custody after man shot in head, Holland police say
HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — Police say a suspect is in custody after a man was shot in Holland on Saturday.
The shooting happened in the area of Van Raalte Avenue and W 19th Street.
A 41-year-old Holland man was shot in the head, Holland Department of Public Safety Capt. Robert Buursma said. He was taken to a local hospital, then transferred to Grand Rapids.
“Last report that I received is that the victim is in Grand Rapids but still in very serious or critical condition,” Buursma said.
A 27-year-old Holland man was taken into custody, according to Buursma. He said the suspect made “statements of a possible bomb in the house” on W 19th Street where the shooting occurred, prompting police to take “all necessary precautions” though they considered the threat “unlikely.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was called to the scene but found no explosives, Buursma said.
“The situation at this point has turned basically into a crime scene. ATF has been in the house and determined there was no threat, so that is taken care of,” he said around 5:30 p.m.
Roads in the area were closed, and some homes — those immediately surrounding the home where the suspect claimed there was a bomb — were previously evacuated as a precaution. Most can return to their homes now that ATF has determined there is no threat, Buursma said, though a few homes are considered part of the crime scene.
“So now we’re just moving into more of the investigative phase,” he said.
Police are still working to figure out what led up to the shooting, according to Buursma.
“At this point, we don’t know if there was any connection between the two at all,” he said. “We do know that the suspect approached with a handgun and shot the victim.”
Buursma said the suspect did not live at the home where the shooting occurred.
“He’s not even known to the individuals who reside in that upper level of the house,” Buursma said.
Holland resident Landon Marietta told News 8 he was in the area when the shooting happened. He said the situation became “really chaotic.”
“It was kind of scary, if you ask me, to see all that happen,” Marietta said. “…I’ve lived here for 14 years now and never seen something like this, like a bomb threat.”
— News 8’s Taylor Morris contributed to this report.
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