Crime Solvers Central
Crime Solvers Central
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A late-September dispute inside a residence on Eastern Avenue SE in Grand Rapids turned deadly on September 26, 2016. Joseph Charles Banks, 38, was shot once in the chest during a verbal argument. Mortally wounded, he ran to a nearby party store seeking help, collapsed there, and died. Family members described Banks as protecting his 15-year-old stepson; the teenager suffered a gunshot wound to the neck, received CPR from responding officers, was taken to hospital, and later recovered.

Police arrested 22-year-old Martez McLaughlin the day after the shooting and charged him with open murder, assault with intent to murder, and felony firearm use. In the days after the killing, friends and family held a candlelight vigil outside the O&E Party Store where Banks had succumbed to his injuries.

Did anyone in the Grand Rapids area witness the argument on Eastern Avenue SE or the moments at the party store that night?