Benton Harbor police bump up patrols after overnight shootings

Benton Harbor police say they’re taking extra steps to keep the city safe after two shootings broke out overnight into Sunday morning.

“We’re just asking people to cooperate. We want people to know we need Benton Harbor to be safe, no one should be gunned down, shot for any reason,” said Dan McGinnis with Benton Harbor Public Safety.

Neighbors on La Vette Avenue in Benton Harbor continue to check in with their loved ones Sunday afternoon to make sure they’re ok after an overnight shooting claimed a life in that neighborhood around 1:30a.m. Sunday.

Just two hours after that shooting and two miles away, police responded to more gunshots. Someone shot three people on Edgecumbe Avenue. One more person died, two others were rushed into surgery and continue to fight for their lives at Lakeland Medical Center.

“Officers arrive on the scene, we found this one young lady who had been shot in the stomach, other gentlemen who had been shot in the chest, and there’s another gentlemen who had been shot,” said McGinnis.

ABC 57 News spoke with the father of one of the victims still in the hospital. He says he’s upset his son was in the wrong place at the wrong time and  just wants him to come out ok.

Almost 24 hours after the shootings, both scenes are clear but police are still searching for suspects.

“We’ve got some great personnel working on this, it’s just a matter of kind of piecing it together. One of the things that we’ve had from both scenes is people not wanting to cooperate and speak to us,” said McGinnis.

Police say they are bumping up patrols Sunday night with officers from Berrien County and Michigan State Police. They ask specifically that residents don't take matters into their own hands and cooperate fully with the police.

For names of the victims and other details on the shooting, click here.