Search continues for Benton Harbor double murder suspect

NOW: Search continues for Benton Harbor double murder suspect
NEXT:

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- He’s the suspect in Benton Harbor’s first double murder in over a decade, and he’s still on the run and considered armed and dangerous.

“Officers were arriving. Some people were trying to perform CPR. Some people were still trying to help,” said Michael Clark, the deputy director of the Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety. “A lot of people were trying to flee.”

Police say it was a ‘very chaotic’ scene along the 900 block of La Vette Avenue in Benton Harbor early Sunday morning.

A house party filled with between 50 and 100 people became the scene of a double murder.

22-year-old Cortez Miller and his close friend, 29-year-old Michael Johnson, were shot and died on their way to the hospital.

“We’re still trying to get everybody from the house party to come in,” Clark said. “A lot of our time is spent trying to track down people and talk to them either at their house or here or anywhere they’ll meet us. There were a lot of people there. We want to talk to every single person that was there.”

A small memorial of candles, flowers and a teddy bear now sit outside the home.

The landlord who owns the recently-renovated rental property boarded up the windows and doors after someone vandalized the scene the day after the shooting.

Police say 40-year-old Antwan Mims, who goes by the nickname ‘Tank,’ is considered armed and dangerous right now.

Clark said Mims had a Benton Township address at the time of the shooting, but he could be headed to Indianapolis where he has family ties.

“If you see him, leave him alone,” Clark said. “Don’t try to approach him. Don’t try to be the citizen hero. Just call 9-1-1, report where he’s at, and that’s it.”

The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to Mims’ arrest.

Investigators don’t yet know what led to the shooting, but they believe Mims acted alone and that this was an isolated incident.

If you know anything, you are asked to call the tip line at 269-927-0293 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-342-7867.

Share this article: