A heartbreaking tragedy has shaken Traverse City: 32-year-old Lawrence Boyd IV, a longtime employee in the city’s Parking Services Department, was found fatally shot early Sunday morning inside the Larry C. Hardy Parking Deck downtown. Authorities now say his killing appears to be directly linked to a dramatic police chase involving two local teenagers just hours earlier.
Police responded to the parking deck around 7:48 a.m. on November 16, after someone reported a body in the 300 block of East State Street. There, they discovered Boyd, who had died of an apparent gunshot wound. His identity was released with his family’s permission.
Investigators believe this isn’t a random act of violence. Evidence collected at the scene suggests a connection to a car break-in and police pursuit that happened the night before. On Saturday around 10 p.m., officers were called to the 1200 block of East Eighth Street after reports of theft from a vehicle. When they spotted two matching suspects nearby, things escalated quickly.
What followed was a foot chase into the 100 block of Munson Avenue. During the pursuit, one of the teens allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired at the officers. Miraculously, no one was hurt — although one round did graze an officer’s pant leg.
The two suspects — a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old — were arrested soon after. The younger teen, 17-year-old Eugene Dale Thompson, is now being charged as an adult with a range of serious offenses, including first-degree murder, attempted murder of a police officer, larceny from an auto, and resisting law enforcement. The 18-year-old, whose name hasn’t been released, faces charges for larceny and resisting police, though officials say he did not fire the shot that killed Boyd.
Police recovered the firearm believed to have been used in both the Saturday night shootout and Boyd’s killing. Meanwhile, the parking deck remains closed as multiple law enforcement agencies — including the Michigan State Police Crime Lab — comb the scene for evidence.
The city leadership is reeling. Interim City Manager Benjamin Marentette called it “heartbreaking” and offered condolences to Boyd’s family, while also thanking law enforcement for their quick response. He noted the need to reexamine security at the garage, but declined to comment on specifics — citing the ongoing investigation.
For now, officials assure the public there is no ongoing threat. But the community remains shaken by how quickly a night of property crime spun into a loss of life. As charges are filed and more details come to light, many in Traverse City are left asking how this could happen — and whether more could’ve been done to prevent it.
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