Grand Rapids, Mich. – A Kentwood man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and a weapons charge in connection with a deadly shooting that occurred at a hotel in 2023. Ateivise Smith, 23, entered the plea last week, and a judge indicated he would face a 13-year prison sentence. Smith’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May, according to Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker.
The shooting took place on March 4, 2023, at the Delta Hotel on 28th Street and E Beltline Avenue in Kentwood. Jaquarrie Garrett, 22, of Georgia, was found dead in a second-floor hallway of the hotel. Police determined he had been shot five times, with three of those shots striking him in the back. The incident occurred just before 7 p.m., as Garrett had returned to his hometown of Grand Rapids to celebrate the first birthday of his son at the hotel.
Evidence collected by authorities linked Smith to the crime. Hotel surveillance footage showed a man wearing a ski mask and appearing to clutch the front of his waistband, walking through the hotel lobby on the night of the shooting. Smith was later connected to the crime after he dropped a Glock handgun during a separate incident in May 2023, when he was running from Grand Rapids police. Investigators found six .40-caliber shell casings at the crime scene, matching the handgun Smith had discarded.
The investigation also revealed Smith’s affiliation with the 30boyz gang, which is tied to other criminal activities in the area. Prior to the shooting, the gang had publicly targeted Garrett on social media, issuing threats and attempting to locate him, according to court documents. Prosecutors indicated that there had been an ongoing conflict between the two men, though further details about the dispute were not disclosed.
Garrett, who had been living in Atlanta, had returned to Grand Rapids to attend his son’s birthday party, a milestone that would tragically be overshadowed by his untimely death.
Smith’s guilty plea brings some resolution to the case, though it does little to heal the pain of Garrett’s family. The upcoming sentencing hearing will provide further details about the consequences Smith will face for his actions, while the community continues to reflect on the broader issues of gang violence and its devastating impact.
