Dowagiac police reassures public after murder

DOWAGIAC, Mich. -- Two people are behind bars after a home invasion turned into a deadly shooting Monday morning just north of Dowagiac.

It happened on Louise Avenue, just north of town.

Both suspects in connection are held in county jail now in Cassopolis.

“It doesn’t happen often, thank goodness,” said Steven Grinnewald, Director of Public Safety for the city. “We don’t get too much of it. It’s not necessarily a random thing that’s going on. These are more targeted, specific things between individuals.”

Not much is known yet other than two men tied up a group inside the home, before shooting and killing a 40-year-old man.

“We could tell very early on this was not a random thing,” Grinnewald said. “This was a specific residence that was targeted, and it was not just people looking for a house to break into. That’s not what this was.”

Those were calming words for a mother and Dowagiac native who knows these crimes aren’t common.

“You don’t hear too much about it,” lifelong Dowagiac resident Daisha Suggs said. "I’m content with where I live at. I mean, I live right across the street from an elementary school. For the most part I feel safe. But it is concerning to hear a situation like that.”

Within a day, authorities from across the area were able to catch two prime suspects. One is a 38-year old male in Three Rivers. The other, up north in Kalamazoo.

Chief Grinnewald called it a job well done.

“We had a little bit of everything,” Grinnewald said. “It was kind of a team effort. Everybody did an excellent job. Detectives worked tirelessly. We were at the scene from approximately 1 a.m. until detectives were here up to 11 last night, putting things together, doing a lot of paperwork - which is a lot of today.”

Those two suspects, charged with murder, will be identified to the public once being arraigned in court Wednesday afternoon.