Fourteen-year-old killed in overnight shooting at Niles apartment complex

 

NILES, Mich. -- Just down the road from a sign pleading for an end to gun violence, neighbors at Arbor Trails Apartments are mourning the dead of a fourteen year old, shot to death late Thursday night. 

“I just don’t know why it’s got to happen like that," said one concerned neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous. "I don’t understand it.”

Niles Police responded to multiple shots fired calls just after 11:00pm, finding a fourteen-year-old boy-- who has not yet been identified-- suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Witnesses said the victim was just out for a walk with some other people, when a light colored truck drove past them, only to turn around and drive back. Several suspects got out of the truck and confronted the fourteen-year-old, when one of them drew a handgun and began firing. 

Neighbors heard multiple shots fired before the suspects took off in the pickup. One neighbor said someone tried to administer CPR to the victim before first responders arrived. 

The fourteen-year-old was taken to Lakeland Medical Center in Niles, where he was pronounced deceased. 

Neighbors and family set up a small memorial near where the teen was killed, and are very worried about the increase in violence they've been seeing in their community. 

“I was raised to treat someone how you’d like to be treated, not like all this. It’s actually scary now," said the concerned neighbor, who only found out about the shooting this morning. She's lived at Arbor Trails for about a year, and she said she hasn't heard of any shootings at the complex before. Others, who did not wish to speak on camera at all, said this is at least the fifth shooting in the complex in the past seven years. 

They call the fourteen-year-old's death a tragedy. All of them want people to put the guns down for good. 

“It just needs to stop. Enough is enough," said the concerned neighbor. "Like I said, I just don’t understand all this violence. It’s sad.”

Niles police are still investigating the shooting; the shooter has not been publicly identified.

We have reached out to the victim's family, but they were too upset to speak at this point.