Michigan Man Found Dead, Suspect Arrested In Indiana
One of the coolest parts about living in this region is that there are opportunities to visit other states within a couple of hours. Southwest Michigan is one of the places in the country that has multiple states within driving distance. Northwest Indiana and Northeast Illinois are within a 2-hour drive of this area, meaning lots of people are moving back and forth.
Benton Harbor, Niles, Decatur, and other cities west of Kalamazoo have a lot of interaction with Northern Indiana cities like Elkhart, South Bend, and Michigan City. Both people from Michigan and people from Indiana will go visit each other, go to events, or even move to the other state. All of this is being said to acknowledge that this area that involves the 3 states is a melting pot.
There's a lot that goes on between the 3 states and often it leads to a lot going unsolved as well. On Saturday, December 14th at around 6:50 am, Officers from the Paw Paw Post of the Michigan State Police responded to a call for shots fired and found a man that was deceased from an apparent gunshot wound.
The incident took place near 70th Street in Hartford Township, so far officers are saying the 35-year-old man from Watervliet got into a physical altercation with a 31-year-old South Bend man before he was shot and killed. By the time the officers had arrived at the location, the suspect had fled the scene.
Police tracked down the suspect with the help of the Pokagon Tribal Band police and Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office. They found the suspect in Fort Wayne, Indiana less than 12 hours later as he is currently being held in Indiana and awaiting to be extradited to Michigan.
He is being charged with homicide, carrying a concealed weapon, felon in possession of a firearm and felony firearm charges but more charges may come as the investigation continues.