On July 27, 2026, 18-year-old Amarr Yarbrough-Gordon of Grand Rapids was found dead inside his vehicle after it crashed into a ditch in Gaines Township, Michigan. First responders were alerted by an iPhone crash notification, and once at the scene discovered Yarbrough-Gordon had suffered a fatal gunshot wound. What began as an apparent traffic crash was reclassified as a homicide.

Investigators from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office followed witness statements and nearby surveillance footage to a nearby residence. Within days three local teenagers were arrested. The prosecutor charged 18-year-old Zania Nelson and 17-year-olds Amarana Thomas and Ken-Savon Singer-Stevens with felony murder and armed robbery; Thomas and Singer-Stevens were charged as adults. Additional charges were also filed.

The community remains focused on the legal process now underway. If anyone has information about Amarr Yarbrough-Gordon, the night of July 27, or the events leading up to the crash, please come forward.