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A man suspected in two weekend homicides in southwestern Michigan was fatally shot after a police chase on a rural road ended in a wheat field, authorities said Monday.
David Algarin Jr., age 30, led police on a chase that began Sunday in St. Joseph County and stretched nearby into Branch County, investigators said.
“The pursuit ended in an officer-involved shooting,” Sturgis police said.
No other information about Algarin’s death was released during a news conference. Michigan State Police are investigating what happened, a typical step when a local police agency is involved in a fatal shooting.
Police used a maneuver to force Algarin’s vehicle into a field, said Jason Bingaman, undersheriff in St. Joseph County.
“The village of Colon was having their yearly magic festival, and there were going to be several people out on the street. So it was imperative that we try to get it stopped as quickly as we could,” Bingaman said.
Algarin was a suspect in two fatal shootings Saturday: the deaths of a 39-year-old woman in Sturgis and a 61-year-old man at a mobile home park, just outside city limits.
Stacey Mae Ramsey was shot and found lying in a road. Witnesses reported that Algarin returned to the scene and struck her with his vehicle, said Ryan Banaszak, head of Sturgis public safety.
Algarin was subsequently found at a mobile home park but fled before he could be captured, Banaszak said.
Officers then discovered the body of Jerry Longacre there, Banaszak said.
He said a motive for the two deaths wasn’t immediately known.
“The deceased tenant was quiet, kept to himself, didn’t have much company to ever expect something like this would happen,” Sweet Lake Mobile Home Community said, referring to Longacre. (AP)
