Inset: Amillier “Milli” Penn (Brown’s Funeral Home). Background: Memorial in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in memory of Penn, 15, who was tragically shot and killed (WXMI/YouTube).
Authorities in Michigan have detained a 17-year-old suspect related to the tragic death of a 15-year-old boy, who was enjoying a game of football with friends when he was reportedly pursued and shot eight times.
Cartiyae Pascal faces murder charges as an adult for the fatal shooting of Amillier “Milli” Penn in Grand Rapids. Speaking at a press conference, Police Chief Eric Winstrom explained that Penn and his companions were playing football on June 2, 2024, when Pascal, at the age of 16, chased down the defenseless victim and took his life.
Winstrom said the two were involved in “typical teenage boy stuff” and had been in a couple fistfights prior to the shooting.
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“In this case it took a tragic turn and it did not have to be that way,” the chief said.
In a statement released to local media Winstrom said:
For nearly a year, GRPD detectives have been following every lead and every tip, painstakingly building this case to bring justice for Milli and his family. The brazen murder of a 15-year-old child, out playing football with his friends, is one that I hope our city will never forget. I know that there are many people in Grand Rapids and across the country who have been invested in justice for Milli. While it can never erase the sense of loss, I hope that gives some measure of healing to his family and loved ones.
A probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by the Grand Rapids Press said one of the prior fights was captured on a video that was on Pascal’s phone. Cops also reportedly recovered surveillance video that captured someone running away from the scene. Witnesses, once reluctant to come forward, identified the person as Pascal, per the affidavit.
Detectives also reportedly found “digital evidence” linking him to the homicide and photos of him holding firearms on his phone. Pascal ran to his nearby home after the shooting.
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Following the homicide, cops heard “mostly crickets” from the community despite “many individuals” being at the scene, according to Winstrom. But there was renewed interest in the case after an April airing of the TV show “All Access PD: Grand Rapids” on the Investigation Discovery channel.
It also helped that Pascal already was in custody for an unrelated, nonfatal shooting in September, some three months after Penn’s death, Winstrom said.
“We know we can’t bring Milli back but we can get answers for the family and we can get some healing to the family,” Winstrom said.
The chief said he was disappointed that, at least initially, so few people came forward with information.
“You cannot embrace a culture of no snitching,” he said. “There is no moral justification for it whatsoever.”
Penn’s family started a GoFundMe for the victim, who they described as “15 years young,” that raised some $13,500 for funeral costs.
“Anyone who knew him knows he was the most kind hearted full of life young boy with so much light,” the fundraiser read. “He was loved by everyone who knew him.”
