In Grand Rapids early Tuesday, a quiet neighborhood on the southeast side was shaken when police found Jacqueline Neill and her two sons, 15-year-old Cameron Kilpatrick and 13-year-old Michael Kilpatrick, shot to death inside their Worden Street SE home.
Neighbors first heard gunshots just before 7:40 a.m. on January 27 and called it in, prompting officers to rush to the scene near Kalamazoo Avenue. When they entered the house, they found all three victims dead. Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom called it “pure homicide,” saying the deaths were clearly the result of deliberate violence against innocent people.
By midweek, police had taken 44-year-old Charles Broomfield into custody. Prosecutors charged him with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of using a firearm in a felony, according to a local report. Investigators say he called 911 to report a break-in at the house, but authorities now view that call with skepticism as they piece together what happened.
People close to the family say Neill and her sons had just moved into the Worden Street home six days before the shooting, and that the loss has left them reeling. In a statement shared with media, relatives described the killings as a senseless act that has left them “utterly devastated” and thanked the Grand Rapids community for its support.
Michael was a middle school student and Cameron attended high school in the area. Kenowa Hills Public Schools sent letters to families and offered counseling resources, saying staff and students would need help navigating their grief after such a shocking loss.
Law enforcement has also revealed that a young child, just 5 years old, was in the home at the time but was unharmed, further deepening the tragedy for friends and neighbors.
The investigation continues as authorities urge anyone with information to reach out to the Grand Rapids Police Department or Silent Observer. In the meantime, neighbors are left to grapple with the grief of a community touched by violence, and the family of Jacqueline, Michael, and Cameron mourns a mother and her sons whose lives ended far too soon.
