On the morning of August 17, 2023, 18-year-old Paul Anthony Pearson was shot in the 100 block of Burton Street SW on Grand Rapids’ southwest side. He was taken to a hospital and later died; an autopsy determined his death was a homicide.

Grand Rapids Police Department Major Case Team identified a person of interest soon after the shooting. By December 2023 two men — 21-year-old Abdirizak Abdiyow and 19-year-old Abdinajib Abdi — were arrested and charged with open murder and felony firearm offenses. At a May 31, 2024 preliminary hearing a physical altercation in the courtroom involved six people and left minor injuries.

In June 2024 the Kent County Prosecutor dropped the murder charges against both men after reviewing testimony from eleven witnesses, citing insufficient evidence to proceed on the murder counts. Abdiyow remained bound over on charges including discharging a firearm at a building, felony firearm possession, and being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition. Abdi faced charges including discharging a firearm at a building, felony firearm possession, carrying a concealed weapon, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and accessory after the fact. The investigation into Pearson’s death is ongoing.

If anyone has information about the shooting or its aftermath, please share what is known.