(WWJ) While big city Detroit's fireworks were peaceful, the scene in Grand Rapids was anything but -- and officials are still grappling with solutions.
The Grand Rapids Press reported hundreds of teens took part in a dozen or so fights throughout the area during the city's annual fireworks display.
Three people were injured and another was killed in two separate shootings near downtown, the Grand Rapids Press reported.
Several witnesses posted video of the melee, including local resident Cory Sly. In it, you see a horde of teens stomping on anything they can reach and swinging their fists to knock each other down.
"There's nothing I can do, there's 100 of them and one of me," Sly tells his female companion as the violence escalates.
The Grand Rapids police union blamed the altercations on an understaffed police department and city officials who scrutinize their actions too much.
Others, including the deputy police chief, blamed lack of parenting and adults who just "dropped off and left" teens without supervision
"These events remind us that we need to have supervision of our youth," Grand Rapids Deputy Police Chief Eric Payne said, per the Grand Rapids Press, during a July 8 press conference on violence over the weekend. "It's important for parents to be responsible. Our understanding is a lot of these kids were just dropped off and left there."
Investigators believe the attacks and shootings were not random
"The 200 to 300 youths that were involved in the fights, they weren't going around attacking people at random," Grand Rapids Deputy Police Chief Eric Payne told the Grand Rapids Press. "They were there to fight each other. I would like to emphasize I believe this is a safe city, but it does have big city problems."
