KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Nine people were shot during a street party in Kalamazoo.
While Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) investigators continue to search for the person who opened fire early Saturday morning, they are hitting a major road block.
KDPS investigators said there were upwards of 200 people at the mobile nuisance party when the nine people were shot, but despite all of those witness, police said very few people are saying anything about what happened.
"We just need the help. We need people to speak out," said Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division Captain Craig Habel.
The shooting happened around 2:15 a.m. Saturday at North Church Street and Bessie Street in Kalamazoo's Northside neighborhood.
"A few different groups got into some type of altercation that eventually led into a gun fight," said Captain Habel.
Captain Habel said two victims were found on scene with gunshot wounds and seven others showed up at local hospitals.
All of them survived and have since been released.
"Numerous casings have been recovered from the scene. One firearm was recovered," said Captain Habel.
From those casings, investigators know at least two firearms were involved, and likely at least two suspects.
While they continue to investigate, Captain Habel said the biggest challenge is lack of information.
"That’s where we are at right now as a society. People don’t want to get involved. People don’t necessarily want to talk to the police. We are seeing more and more innocent people being affected and victimized by the gun play on the streets," said Captain Habel.
So far this year in Kalamazoo, there have been 48 total shootings. Three of them were deadly.
Captain Habel said a majority of the 45 non-fatal incidents have been closed out or deemed inactive because of a lack of witness information or a lack of interest in prosecution from the victims themselves.
"It is just a matter of time where an innocent child or someone sleeping in their bed gets a stray bullet through their house. We can’t have that. We need the community. We can only do so much. We need the community to help us out. We need people to do what’s right and talk to us," said Captain Habel.
The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety is asking anyone with information to contact them at (269) 337-8139 or to go through Silent Observer.
You can stay anonymous, and they said even the smallest piece of information helps.
