A man is dead and a woman is hospitalized after a shooting broke out in Sparta Monday afternoon, authorities say. Police responded to the 300 block of South Union Street near the Tesa plant shortly before 4 p.m., where officers found what Sparta Police Chief Andrew Milanowski described as the aftermath of a domestic dispute between a man and a woman.
According to woodtv.com, one person died and another was hospitalized after the shooting. Officers were called to South Union Street NW near Silver Creek Avenue just before 4 p.m. Monday, as reported by wwmt.com. Scott Dietrich, public information officer for the Kent County Sheriff's Office, said the shooting occurred in the 300 block of South Union Street near the Tesa plant, per MLive.
Man Believed to Have Turned Gun on Himself
Milanowski said the man is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The station's report also states the man is accused of shooting the woman while she was in her car before turning the gun on himself, and that he died at the scene.
The woman was hospitalized with injuries not believed to be life-threatening, the same account notes. Her exact path to medical care afterward was described differently across outlets: one report says she drove to the city's village hall after the shooting, where she received help from officials, while another states she was last known to be in the hospital in stable condition. Dietrich told MLive he did not have further information about the victims or what led to the shooting, and Milanowski could not immediately be reached for additional details.
No Active Threat, But Streets Remained Blocked
The Kent County Sheriff's Office, which assisted the Sparta Police Department with the investigation, said there was no active threat to the community. Still, residents were advised to avoid the area as surrounding streets were blocked off while the investigation continued, according to arcwestmichigan.com. Police asked residents to steer clear of the block while officers worked the scene.
An investigation into the shooting remains active, and no further details about what led to the confrontation have been released. MLive, which first reported on the incident with a byline from Melissa Frick, says the story will be updated as more information becomes available.
