KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A Kalamazoo neighborhood already on high alert from recent gun violence is now shocked at the fatal shooting of a 9-year-old boy Thursday afternoon.
Police say it happened around 1:30 near Lake Street and James Street. The child died shortly after they were taken to a hospital. A man who lives nearby and has a young child of his own chose to remain anonymous while speaking to WOOD-TV, saying he mourns for the family.
“It’s terrible. I have a 7-year-old and it hits close to home hearing that, especially four houses down, it’s a travesty.”
There are few details available and no arrests have been made. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety is still investigating the shooting. That same neighbor says he’s made significant changes to outdoor activities with his child because it’s just not safe to be out and about anymore…
“I used to ride bikes with my kid, my 7-year-old, last summer, all the time. This summer, we haven’t gone out just because of gun violence and violence in general.”
And while the city of Kalamazoo and many municipalities across the nation continue to step up efforts to combat gun violence, the city of Battle Creek is also seeing a spike in illegal weapons. The Battle Creek Police Department says to date this year, officers have seized 87 guns. That number is on pace to easily surpass the 150 illegal firearms they obtained in 2020.
Police Chief Dave Blocker tells the Battle Creek Enquirer the local trend is following the national trend of increased illegal guns and legal ones in circulation. Blocker says while some of the illegal guns officers have seized were stolen, others are being legally purchased by people who then provide them to others who are not allowed to possess them.
