5-year-old girl shot while playing in front yard in Southwest Michigan

Benton Harbor water meeting, distribution

A Benton Harbor police vehicle parked along the road, shown in an MLive file photo. Police are investigating after a 5-year-old girl was shot while playing in the front yard of her family's home. A man in a vehicle was also shot, police said. (Garret Ellison | MLive)Garret Ellison | MLive

BENTON HARBOR, MI -- A 5-year-old girl playing in the front yard of a Southwest Michigan home was one of two “innocent bystanders” shot and injured in a drive-by shooting this weekend.

On Saturday, May 4, at 2:38 p.m., the Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety responded to the shooting of the girl and a man at the intersection of Broadway Avenue and Britain Avenue.

The “innocent bystanders” were struck by stray rounds, police said.

The 5-year-old girl was playing in front of her family’s house on Britain Avenue when she was shot, police said. The man shot was driving by the area, police said.

Both victims are in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, police said on Monday, May 6.

Police are not releasing the names of the victims at this time.

Shots were reportedly fired from a white vehicle, police said.

Detectives and the Major Crimes Unit are currently working active leads to try to solve the violent crime. Evidence was located at the scene.

The FBI Violent Crime Taskforce is assisting police along with the Benton Township Police Department, the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Michigan State Police D/Sgt. Ben Mahaffie at 269-845-6948 or mahaffieb@michigan.gov.

Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Kalamazoo daily newsletter.


      

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.