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Benton Harbor Mayor urges calm: ‘Suppress any anger’

Posted at 4:18 PM, Oct 18, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-18 16:58:11-04

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — City leaders in Benton Harbor are urging the community to remain peaceful after police shot and killed a man in a shootout.

Mayor Marcus Muhammad asked the community to "suppress any anger" they may feel and to "let the investigation take place without drawing any conclusions."

"It's very important we exercise patience and restraint in this very tough time," Muhammad said. "Although frustration and anger is high, we don’t want for our anger to govern our behavior.”

Other city leaders also spoke, including a pastor who urged people to "not tear up the city like some may expect."

Leaders say that they don't have any indications that problems will take place Tuesday night.

Police say they shot a suspect at about 2:00 a.m. Tuesday after they responded to a call of a person holding another one at gunpoint.  As police were clearing the scene with the cooperation of the homeowner, shots were fired from down the street toward the front of the home.  Police returned fire, hitting one suspect, killing him.

It's unclear if the suspect was shooting at police or at people at the house.

Family members have identified the suspect as Darius Wimberly.