Father, daughter killed in shooting when man breaks into their home, Michigan cops say

A man broke into a home and opened fire, killing the mother of his child and her dad, Michigan police say.

The shooting happened at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at a home in Battle Creek, about 65 miles southeast of Grand Rapids, the Battle Creek Police Department said in a news release.

Todd Edward Bolden Jr., 22, turned himself in a day after the shooting, police said. He is charged with two counts of murder.

Police said Bolden went to the same home earlier in the day. Members of the household reported vandalism and a fight breaking out, but Bolden was gone by the time authorities arrived.

When he returned and was attempting to break in, someone in the home called 911, police said. The dispatcher then heard gunshots.

Officers found a 22-year-old woman, identified Monday as Veronica Cica, dead at the scene with gunshot wounds, according to police. Her father, 44-year-old Steven Cica, was also shot and died a day later at a hospital.

Bolden is the father to Veronica Cica’s two children, family members told WWMT.

“Words can’t explain it, it doesn’t feel real,” Austin Cica, Steven Cica’s son, told WWMT. “I’m hoping to just wake up, but words can’t explain how I feel.”

Police said Bolden fled the home, but he turned himself in Sunday. A motive for the shooting is unclear.

During his arraignment Monday, Bolden was denied bond, police said.

“It is unimaginable this time of year to lose one, let alone two, family members of such horrible circumstances,” a family friend said in a GoFundMe.

This story was originally published December 19, 2023 at 10:55 AM with the headline "Father, daughter killed in shooting when man breaks into their home, Michigan cops say."