In the early morning hours of April 7, 2018, Terrance Jaleel Swinney, a 26-year-old man from Kalamazoo, Michigan, was shot on North Burdick Street. Emergency services arrived to find Swinney with gunshot wounds and transported him to Bronson Methodist Hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Known to his loved ones as 'Nook,' Swinney was a father of five and an undefeated mixed martial arts fighter. His family and friends remembered him as a protective and giving person with a talent for making people laugh. He was described as a goal-oriented family man who was deeply loved within his community.
The investigation into his death continued for nearly a year. On April 3, 2019, authorities arrested 29-year-old Johnnie Williams-Hopkins of Portage, Michigan. He was subsequently charged with open murder and a felony firearm offense in connection with Swinney's death. Williams-Hopkins was arraigned in Kalamazoo's 8th District Court and held at the Kalamazoo County Jail. While a clear motive for the shooting was not publicly released, a cousin of Swinney suggested that it might have stemmed from a prior dispute.
