A 36-year-old man was shot in the lower leg shortly after midnight on Thursday, Nov. 5, near the intersection of Somerset Avenue and Jordan Street in Battle Creek, and as of this week, police still have no one in custody. He was rushed by ambulance to a Kalamazoo hospital, where his injuries were described as non-life-threatening, and investigators are now asking the public for help identifying who opened fire.
According to the Battle Creek Enquirer, the man was transported by LifeCare Ambulance after the shooting, which Battle Creek police say happened in the area of Somerset Avenue and Jordan Street. Accounts differ slightly on exactly where the gunfire started. The Enquirer reported that officers said shots were fired from a vehicle near Grand Street and Somerset Avenue before shots rang out again near Jordan Street and Somerset Avenue, while WWMT reported officers describing the first location as Grand Avenue and Somerset Avenue, with a second round of gunfire again near Jordan Street and Somerset Avenue.
Evidence Collected, but No Arrests Yet
Officers told WWMT that evidence from both intersections has been recovered and processed as part of the investigation. Despite that physical evidence, the station's report notes that no suspects had been identified publicly as of this week, and the same account confirms that no arrest had occurred as of Monday. Police have said there is no additional threat to the public connected to the shooting, according to the Enquirer.
Investigators are now leaning on the community for leads. Per the Enquirer, anyone who was in the area at the time, witnessed the shooting, or has residential, business, or vehicle camera footage from around Somerset Avenue, Grand Street, or Jordan Street is being asked to come forward.
How to Reach Investigators
Tipsters can contact the Battle Creek Police Department directly at (269) 781-0911, or submit an anonymous tip through Silent Observer at (269) 964-3888. Those numbers, published by the Enquirer, remain the two channels police have pointed the public toward since the Nov. 9 update on the case.
This is not the only recent Battle Creek shooting to send a victim to the hospital with a leg wound. On Oct. 20, police responded to a shooting in the 200 block of Capital Avenue in which a 26-year-old woman was shot in the leg, according to MLive. In that case, officers said a suspect was arrested at the scene on charges of assault with intent to murder and multiple weapons offenses, with police describing the shooting as domestic-related and saying the victim and suspect knew each other. No such resolution has been reported in the Somerset Avenue and Jordan Street case, which remains open as detectives continue gathering evidence and appealing for witnesses.
