Police say a boy and a woman were shot outside Southwest Elementary School after children refused to add another player.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — An 18-year-old man appeared in court on murder charges after police said a dispute over an informal soccer game outside a Grand Rapids school ended with a 15-year-old boy and a woman fatally shot.

Rafael Martinez-Lopez is charged in the deaths of Jeremiah Griffin-Cuevas and Savanah Rubio, also known as Savanah Villarreal, after the May 5 shooting on the grounds of Southwest Elementary School. Police said the case moved quickly from a reported shooting near Oakland Avenue SW and Rumsey Street SW to a double-homicide investigation, with children among the witnesses and two nearby schools closed as families and staff absorbed the violence.

The court case began three days after gunfire broke out during a pickup soccer game near the school playground. Interim Grand Rapids Police Chief Joe Trigg said a group of children and older juveniles had gathered to play when Martinez-Lopez, or a younger brother connected to him, asked to join the game and was turned away. “For whatever reason, he was turned away,” Trigg said in describing the first account investigators received. Police said the refusal led to a verbal argument, then to Martinez-Lopez pulling a gun and shooting Jeremiah. Rubio came toward the boy to help him, police said, and was shot next.

Officers were called to the area at about 6:40 p.m. and found two victims with life-threatening injuries on school property. Jeremiah died at the scene. Rubio was taken to a hospital, where she later died. Police said Martinez-Lopez left the playground area after the shooting, but officers found him at a nearby home and arrested him without further violence. The Kent County Medical Examiner later ruled both deaths homicides. Investigators said at least seven or eight juveniles saw the shooting or its immediate aftermath, a detail Trigg called especially painful because the victims and witnesses had gathered for an ordinary game after school hours.

Authorities initially released limited details while detectives prepared the case for prosecutors. By Thursday, police identified Martinez-Lopez as the suspect and said he was facing two counts of open murder, two felony firearm charges and three additional weapons charges. Court filings later added that police believed Martinez-Lopez tried to shoot another child, but the firearm did not fire. Martinez-Lopez acknowledged the charges during a brief hearing and was ordered held in jail without bond. His attorney, Craig Jenison, said Martinez-Lopez had no prior criminal record, and a message seeking further comment from the defense was not immediately returned.

The victims were tied to the same circle of children who used the field and playground near Southwest Elementary. Family members said Rubio, 38 or 39 in public accounts, was a mother of eight who had been supervising the children that evening. They said Jeremiah was a friend of one of her sons and had been treated like family. Jeremiah’s mother, Mildred Griffin, said the loss of her son could not be measured by any court filing. “Somebody stole from me, and that’s something I can’t get back,” Griffin said. She said her son was active in church youth group and attended services each Sunday.

The shooting also forced Grand Rapids Public Schools to treat the school grounds as both a crime scene and a community trauma site. Southwest Elementary and nearby Southwest Middle High School were closed the day after the shooting. Southwest Elementary remained closed for another day, while the district opened the building for a short period so families could receive support from crisis teams and pick up sack lunches. District officials said counseling and support staff would be available when students returned. The closures were not described as a continuing safety threat but as time for the school community to process what happened in the neighborhood.

Police said the physical setting added to the shock. The shooting happened not inside a school day or during a formal event, but near a playground and field used by neighborhood children. Trigg said officers were used to difficult scenes but described this one as different. “We have care and concern for all victims, but this kind of senseless violence just hits differently,” Trigg said. He also praised officers for giving aid, securing the scene, finding the suspect and assembling the case. At a memorial, relatives and neighbors left balloons and gathered around images of Rubio and Jeremiah, whose names became linked by a few minutes of violence.

Friends described Jeremiah as caring and full of energy. Luiz Lopez, a close family friend, said the boy’s death left a deep wound among people who watched him grow. “Deep down, I am really hurting,” Lopez said. “I am really going to miss him.” Rubio’s relatives described her as protective and selfless, someone who loved children and stepped forward when she saw danger. Griffin said Rubio gave her life trying to protect Jeremiah and said her son saw Rubio as an aunt. The statements became central to the public understanding of the case, framing the woman not only as a second victim but as someone killed while trying to help a wounded child.

Prosecutors will now carry the case through the early court process while police continue to review witness statements, physical evidence and the firearm allegations. The next steps include additional hearings, formal evidence exchanges and any defense motions tied to the charges. As of May 27, Martinez-Lopez remained jailed without bond, and the deaths of Jeremiah Griffin-Cuevas and Savanah Rubio remain the focus of a homicide case that began with an argument over a soccer game.

Author note: Last updated May 27, 2026.