A 73-year-old man was found dead from a gunshot wound inside a Battle Creek home Saturday afternoon, and as of Monday morning, investigators had made no arrests. Officers responded around 2 p.m. and discovered the man unresponsive inside the residence, with police saying they do not believe the shooting poses any danger to the public.
According to WOODTV, officers were called to the area near Arlington Drive on N. Washington Avenue, where they found the victim with a fatal gunshot wound inside the home. Fox 17, however, reported that officers responded to a complaint on W. Washington Avenue near the same intersection. The Battle Creek Police Department identified the fatal shooting location as the 800 block of North Washington Avenue.
Police have not released the identity of the man who died, citing the ongoing investigation, and have declined to share additional details about what led up to the shooting. The Battle Creek Police Department said it extends condolences to the victim's family and loved ones, while confirming it is withholding further information while the case remains active, as reported by WWMT.
No Suspect in Custody, But No Public Threat
As of Monday morning, no arrests had been made in connection with the shooting, the same report notes. Investigators have said they believe there is no danger to the public, though they have not detailed what led them to that conclusion or whether a suspect has been identified.
People with information are asked to call the Battle Creek Detective Bureau at 269-781-0911 or Silent Observer at 269-964-3888, per the station's report.
A Break From a Rare Stretch of Calm
The killing comes months after Battle Creek had gone nearly 14 months without a homicide within city limits, a streak that ended in July when two fatal shootings struck within a single 24-hour period, according to WWMT. Police Chief Shannon Bagley had noted that other violent crimes, including aggravated assaults and non-fatal shootings, were trending down in the city around that same time.
The Washington Avenue area has seen gunfire before. A city alert from the City of Battle Creek described officers responding around 10:20 p.m. one Sunday to reports of shots fired near Washington and Baldwin avenues, where gunfire struck a home in the first block of West Baldwin Avenue; one person inside at the time was not injured.
