During his testimony, Devante Granderson said a past gang-related incident where someone urinated on the grave of an Uptown gang member may have motivated Lowery in the shooting.
At about 3:45 a.m. on Oct. 9, Grand Rapids Police responded to the report of a shooting at the 28th Street location. Boykin was found dead at the scene.
Earlier in the night, there had been a birthday party in Muskegon. The Grand Rapids address, a closed clearance outlet, was the “after party.”
Witnesses testified about 60-80 people attended the party.
Kyrell Ware was with Lowery the night before the shooting, along with another friend. The three stopped at Holly’s Back Door Bar and Grill at 255 28th Street SE and Lowery went inside to use the restroom, Ware testified.
Inside, Ware said Lowery saw a member of the Highland Street gang. Lowery and Ware are both affiliated with the Uptown gang. The two gangs are rivals.
Lowery and the man apparently did not exchange words. But Lowery told Ware that if the man had followed Lowery into the restroom, he would have shot him with the gun he had with him.
Lowery, Ware and their other friend left Holly’s to go to the party in Ware’s car. There was security outside patting down partygoers, so Lowery stored his gun in the car.
Ware asked a girl to use her purse to carry his own gun into the party, which she did. Once inside, Ware did not get his gun back and later found out that Lowery had it. The two didn’t see each other again until after the shooting, Ware testified.
Another witness to the shooting, Willie Boyd, was with Boykin before he was shot. The two had known each other since childhood and were both affiliated with the Seven gang, which is allied with the Highland gang.
Boyd went to the party on 28th Street alone and met up with Boykin there.
Nine people in total were shot including Boykin, who died as a result of his injuries. Eight others were injured in the shooting including four men and four women.
Lowery was bound over for trial on five counts, including open murder and gang membership, which Judge David Buter said he thinks was the motivation for the crime. He also faces charges of carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon and felonious possession of a firearm.
