Suspected murderer wanted for killings in two counties captured in Indiana
UPDATE: The St. Joseph County sheriff has said that shooting suspect Zachary Michael Patten is in custody in South Bend, Ind.
Police agencies across Southwest Michigan have been search for Patten, whom they considered armed and dangerous, since two people were shot and killed in Kalamazoo and Constantine late Thursday, about 45 minutes apart.
The second victim was the new husband of the Patten's ex-wife, authorities said this morning. The first was a 31-year-old mother of four who died at the Americana Estates mobile home park on Tray Lane in Kalamazoo after she stepped between her brother and the suspect who were arguing.
Prior to turning himself in this morning, Patten, 32, was last seen driving a 2004 silver Chrysler Pacifica bearing Michigan Registration CLN 8244. The vehicle has a “skeleton family” sticker on the rear of the vehicle and a full size spare tire on one of the front wheels.
Kalamazoo County sheriff’s deputies reported that Patten went to Americana Estates to confront his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend about 9:30 p.m., and that’s when the woman who died stepped in the middle and was shot. She died at the scene.
The second shooting happened on Featherstone Road in Florence Township. The St. Joseph County sheriff said the home belonged to Patten’s ex-wife. Authorities said Patten forced his way into the home and confronted his ex-wife’s new husband.
The husband, 29, was shot in the altercation, and taken to Three Rivers Hospital where he later died.
The sheriff tells Newschannel 3 that multiple children were in the Featherstone Road home at the time of the shooting. Those children and the victim’s wife, who is pregnant, were taken to a safe location while Patten is still on the run, the sheriff said.
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WEST MICHIGAN (Newschannel 3) – A shooting suspect is on the run after two people were gunned down in West Michigan.
The killings in Kalamazoo and Constantine are related, and police believe they were carried out by the same man.
Authorities are searching for Zachary Michael Patten. He is a prime suspect in the killings and should be considered armed and dangerous.
Patten was last seen driving a 2004 silver Chrysler Pacifica bearing Michigan Registration CLN 8244. The vehicle has a "skeleton family" sticker on the back of it. There is also a spare tire on one of the front wheels.
It began around 9:30 p.m. Thursday when police were called to Kalamazoo’s Americana Estates, near Drake Road and Michigan Avenue.
The first victim, a 31-year-old woman from Kalamazoo, was shot after an argument. She died at the scene according to police.
Witnesses said the woman wasn’t the original target. They believe she stepped in front and took the bullet for her brother who was arguing with Patten.
Details surrounding the second person who was killed are limited, but police report it happened about 45 minutes later off of Featherstone Road in Florence Township.
The 29-year-old man who was killed is the new husband of Patten’s ex-wife according to authorities. The man was shot when he answered the door to his family’s home.
Newschannel 3 is now learning that Patten has a history of violence, including arrests for assault and domestic violence.
This is a developing story, and we will continue to update it as more information becomes available.
