A 35-year-old man died Monday evening after a standoff with law enforcement erupted into gunfire and a house fire on Running Deer Ridge in Leroy Township. Deputies had arrived around 5:30 p.m. to execute a search warrant and a probation-violation warrant connected to a domestic dispute, and within hours the man, identified as Travis Baker, was dead and a home reduced to flames.
The warrants stemmed from a domestic situation the day before involving Baker and his parents, according to mlive.com. Baker’s parents had told deputies they were concerned about their son’s behavior, in part because he owned firearms while on probation, the outlet reported. That concern set the stage for the warrant service that turned into a prolonged and violent confrontation at the Leroy Township residence.
As deputies moved to execute the warrants, shots were fired from inside the home, according to a sheriff’s news release cited by mlive.com. Numerous rounds struck specialized response vehicles belonging to both the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office and the Battle Creek Police Department, the outlet reported. Two sheriff’s office drones were shot down during the exchange, according to the Battle Creek Enquirer.
Officer Opens Fire as Flames Spread
During the incident, a Battle Creek police officer discharged a firearm from a specialized response vehicle, deputies said, per the same mlive.com account. Around the same time, a fire rapidly engulfed the home, deputies said, and the blaze prevented officers from immediately confirming whether Baker had been injured or was still alive inside. Baker was later confirmed dead, according to the report.
As gunfire and smoke filled the scene, authorities issued an emergency alert telling nearby residents to shelter in place, stay indoors and move away from windows and exterior walls because of the potential for stray gunfire, the outlet noted. FOX 17 West Michigan News similarly reported that the armed suspect died after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement, citing the sheriff’s news release. By Monday evening, the immediate threat to the public had been resolved and the shelter-in-place advisory was lifted, deputies said.
What Investigators Still Have to Sort Out
The circumstances surrounding the officer-involved shooting and the structure fire remain under investigation, according to mlive.com. Authorities have not detailed the sequence of events that led to the fire or the exact circumstances of Baker’s death beyond confirming that he died during the standoff. An earlier alert from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, reported by woodtv.com, had warned of an armed suspect in Leroy Township and urged residents to stay indoors as the situation unfolded.
Reporting has diverged on when investigators plan to brief the public. wwmt.com reported that the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office would hold a press conference Tuesday at 1 p.m., while the Battle Creek Enquirer reported the sheriff’s office would hold a press conference for credentialed media only on Wednesday, Oct. 28. For now, the Leroy Township community is left waiting to learn exactly how a warrant service tied to a family’s worry over firearms ended in gunfire, downed drones and a fatal house fire.
