Mother of 8 Killed Trying to Protect Kids in Michigan Shooting

If you’ve ever watch your kids, nieces or nephews play sports, you’ve seen some pretty crazy situations play out. My wife was actually thrown out of my nephew’s game because she was mad at the ref for not calling our nephew being choked out by a player on the opposing team.

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But then you hear stories like this and it just leaves you shaking your head wondering how things can go sideways out of nowhere and out of hand this fast.

What Police Say Started the Michigan Soccer Shooting

A pickup soccer game outside an elementary school in Grand Rapids ended with two people dead, including a 14-year-old boy, and police say it all started over an argument about who could play.

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According to investigators, an 18-year-old walked up to a group of kids playing soccer near Southwest Elementary School Tuesday evening and asked to join in. Police say the kids told him no, and that’s when everything escalated.

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Investigators say the suspect pulled out a gun and opened fire, killing a 14-year-old boy right there near the field.

Michigan Mother of Eight Remembered as Hero

Then there’s the part of this story that’s hitting a lot of people especially hard.
A 39-year-old mother of eight, Savanah Villarreal, reportedly stepped in trying to help the boy and protect the kids nearby. According to News Channel 3, police say she was also shot and killed.

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Her family says she was there supervising the kids because there had already been problems in that area before. Her sister described her as somebody who would do anything for children, and honestly, from everything we’re hearing, that sounds exactly like what happened.

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Michigan Schools Closed Following Deadly Shooting

Police arrested an 18-year-old shortly after the shooting and recovered multiple shell casings at the scene. Schools nearby were closed as the investigation continued, while people in the neighborhood started leaving flowers, candles, and signs that read:

Stop shooting, we play here.