A 49-year-old man is facing an assault with intent to murder charge after Battle Creek police say he shot a 26-year-old woman in the leg Tuesday evening. Officers found the woman with a gunshot wound and located the suspect at the scene a short time later, detaining him without incident.
According to the Battle Creek Enquirer, officers responded to the 200 block of Capital Avenue NE at approximately 6:55 p.m. and found the woman with a gunshot wound to her lower left leg. Two other outlets gave slightly different locations for the shooting: WOOD-TV reported it happened around 7 p.m. on Capital Avenue near Fremont Street, while a separate West Michigan report placed officers responding to Capital Avenue NE near Penn Street. As MLive reported, the woman was taken to a hospital for treatment following the shooting.
Woman Treated, Suspect Detained Within Hours
LifeCare Ambulance treated and transported the woman, and police do not believe her injury is life-threatening, per the Enquirer's report. Officers found the suspect at the scene a short time later and detained him without incident, the same account states.
Detectives also executed a search warrant at a residence connected to the shooting, where they recovered evidence for forensic examination, the station's report notes. Police lodged the man at the Calhoun County Jail on charges of assault with intent to murder and multiple weapons offenses, per the same account. Under Michigan law, a person who assaults another with intent to commit murder is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment in state prison for life or any number of years, according to the Michigan Legislature.
Police Say Victim and Suspect Knew Each Other
Police believe the shooting was domestic-related and not a random act of violence, since the victim and suspect know each other, the article notes. The investigation remains active, according to WKZO.
A Pattern Battle Creek Has Been Tracking
The case adds to a trend local officials have flagged in recent years. Battle Creek recorded 1,010 domestic-violence cases in 2023, which police said was 200 more than the year before, according to WWMT. Police told the station that repeat offenders contribute to those numbers, including cases involving the same victim and suspect, even as domestic violence trends downward statewide while remaining high overall.
The stakes tied to that pattern are significant. The Calhoun County Prosecuting Office says at least 20% of homicide cases are linked to previous domestic violence, and Calhoun County Prosecutor David Gilbert told WWMT that five or six of the county's 17 open homicide cases are related to domestic violence. The same report found that more than 90% of people referred to the YWCA through its high-risk domestic-violence referral program used additional services in 2023.
