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TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (DailyKenn.com) — Lawrence Holdridge Boyd IV, a 32-year-old city parking services worker known for his quiet dedication and quick smile, was fatally shot while confronting suspected car burglars in a downtown garage, authorities said, capping a chaotic night of thefts, a police chase and gunfire that has left this northern Michigan resort community reeling.
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Boyd, a Traverse City native and recent graduate of Ferris State University, was working the late shift at the Larry C. Hardy Parking Deck on East State Street when the violence erupted. Around 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 15, two local teenagers, Eugene Dale Thompson, 17, and Hunter Vanderwall, 18, were allegedly rummaging through unlocked vehicles in the multi-level structure, pilfering items in what police described as a brazen crime spree.
According to surveillance footage reviewed by investigators, Boyd spotted the pair and approached them in an attempt to intervene. Thompson, authorities allege, pulled a handgun and fired a single shot into Boyd's chest at close range. Video shows the shooter walking away briefly before returning to retrieve a dropped vape pen, taking a few drags, and fleeing the scene. Boyd, who lived on the nearby Old Mission Peninsula with his mother, staggered but collapsed and lay undiscovered for hours.
Nine casings were recovered, according to reports.
The suspects then escalated the mayhem. Spotting a police cruiser nearby, they fled on foot, leading officers on a pursuit through downtown that ended in a residential neighborhood. During the chase, Thompson allegedly fired two rounds at pursuing officers, one narrowly missing an officer's head and embedding in a patrol car door. The gunfire prompted a shelter-in-place alert for nearby Northwestern Michigan College and a Super 8 motel, where Thompson was later apprehended outside a room with the weapon recovered nearby. Vanderwall was taken into custody in the college parking lot.
Boyd's body was found the next morning at 7:48 a.m. on Nov. 16 by a garage attendant, who alerted authorities. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene from a gunshot wound. An autopsy by the Western Michigan University School of Medicine confirmed the cause, and evidence from ballistics and video swiftly linked the shooting to the earlier chase.
The suspects were arraigned Tuesday in Grand Traverse County District Court on open murder charges, along with counts of attempted murder of a police officer, carrying a concealed weapon, theft from a vehicle, resisting and obstructing and felony firearms possession. Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Kyle Attwood described the footage as "chilling" and argued both teens were complicit, with Thompson as the triggerman and Vanderwall as an active participant. Both pleaded not guilty; bond was denied, citing flight risk and community danger. Preliminary exams are set for Dec. 2.
Witnesses to the chase, including a college security guard who heard the shots, recounted the terror in interviews. "It was like something out of a movie—kids running, bullets flying, everyone ducking behind cars," said Mark Ellis, 45, a Front Street bar owner who locked down his business during the alert. "We all feel violated; this is Traverse City, not some big-city war zone."
The slaying has pierced the heart of this Lake Michigan tourism hub of 15,000, where violent crime is rare. City offices closed early Tuesday for employee counseling, and Interim City Manager Benjamin Marentette called it "a heartbreaking loss of one of our own." Police Chief Matt Richmond vowed a thorough probe with state and federal partners.
Boyd's family painted a portrait of a devoted son, partner and mentor who volunteered with local food pantries and animal shelters. His father, Lawrence Boyd III, choked back tears in a family statement: "He was my world—a gentle giant who lit up rooms and always put others first. Larry tried to do the right thing that night, and it cost him everything." His mother, Kristina Hooper, battles bone cancer; Boyd leaves behind longtime girlfriend Amanda Evans and her two young children, whom he adored as his own. A funeral is planned for Dec. 13 at Mission Hill Church, with memorials urged to Project Feed the Kids and the Cherryland Humane Society.
Residents gathered at a candlelight vigil Wednesday outside the shuttered garage, laying flowers and sharing stories of Boyd's kindness. "He waved to everyone, remembered your name," said coworker Jenna Reyes, 28. "This senseless act has us questioning our safety, but it's also brought us closer—Larry would want us to keep looking out for each other."
As the investigation continues, community leaders decry a surge in youth crime amid economic strains from tourism slumps. "We must address root causes—poverty, mental health, easy gun access—before another family shatters," said Mayor Amy Shamroe.
‘He was my world.’ Dad remembers son slain in Traverse City parking ramp shooting [https://www.mlive.com/news/2025/11/he-was-my-world-dad-remembers-son-slain-in-traverse-city-parking-ramp-shooting.html]
Lawrence Holdridge Boyd IV Obituary | 1993 - 2025 | Record Eagle [https://obituaries.record-eagle.com/obituary/lawrence-boyd-iv-1093341906]
Bond denied for teen suspects accused of killing Traverse City employee [https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2025/11/18/bond-denied-for-teen-suspects-accused-of-killing-traverse-city-employee/87343374007/]
Traverse City man killed in shooting linked to car break-in; two teens in custody [https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/traverse-city-man-killed-in-shooting-linked-to-car-break-in-two-teens-in-custody-boyd-state-street-garfield-18-17-parking-services]
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