Vigil held for Matthew Bolick

EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Underneath the vigil and celebration of Matthew Bolick's life are questions surrounding his death Monday night after being Tasered by the East Grand Rapids police.

Bolick, 30, was Tasered four times by police after they were called to a domestic disturbance at 2110 Heather SE. He died at the scene. It was the first time the stun guns had ever been deployed by East Grand Rapids police.

With candles guiding their way Friday night, dozens of people remembered Bolick, described as "a bright, articulate, loving kid."

Organizers of the vigil said this is not the time to point fingers, but to provide support, to let the family "know that through their pain and their struggle, they will be supported," said James Ver Muelen.

"This is a time to remember him," said his father,Stephen Bolick, "but it's also a time to remember that life was lost. And that life, however it was taken, people were involved and they are hurting as well."

Friends are still looking for answers. "There's a lot of confusion as to why," said Erica Tabor, "and as far as we're concerned, it's the most traumatic thing that can happen to a family."

The autopsy was completed, but toxicology tests have not yet come back.

This vigil was the first step "for us to begin to heal," said Stephen Bolick. "Hopefully."

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