On Monday afternoon, Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom addressed scrutiny surrounding a controversial arrest made by his officers last Friday. Chief Winstrom stated that this was the first time he has responded publicly to criticism regarding an incident captured in a viral video, asserting that his officers acted appropriately amid a tense situation.
Winstrom explained the events of June 13th, when officers were alerted to a potential armed individual entering a Walgreens on the 1600 block of Kalamazoo. As law enforcement initiated their investigation, and began to take an armed person into custody, a crowd began gathering, prompting officers to request that bystanders move for safety reasons.
GRPD Chief responds to social media backlash over controversial arrest
“Because they are placing themselves and everyone else in more danger,” Winstrom emphasized while sharing body camera footage, which depicts multiple angles of officers directing the crowd to move out of the line of fire.
GRPD says the subjects involved with the initial response complied with all legal orders, and were released after confirming that the firearms were legally-possessed. Immediately afterward however, officers arrested Ned Andree for failure to comply. This arrest and a subsequent arrest became the focus of social media controversy, leading to differing perspectives on its justification.In a reaction captured immediately after the press conference, Andree contested Chief Winstrom’s narrative, stating, “We didn’t insert ourselves into anything. We live in Boston Square. I’m there 24/7. I was out and about doing my community work, serving my community, when we came upon three young men being held at gunpoint by one officer. We have every right to record.” He further claimed the officers created an unsafe scenario, as well as describing their conduct as excessive. “It was the second officer who pulled up. He pointed his gun at us. He failed to establish a good perimeter,” Andree added…