KDPS Responds to Non-Fatal Shooting, Evidence Points to Self-Defense

Published on December 01, 2025

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) is investigating a non-fatal shooting that occurred Sunday evening in the 1200 block of Douglas Avenue.

Public Safety Officers were dispatched around 5:30 p.m. for a reported assault involving a shovel that resulted in a shooting. Officers arrived and located a 49-year-old man with a gunshot wound. A 60-year-old man who fired the shot remained on scene and identified himself to officers.

Investigators learned that the 60-year-old man had been returning a ladder to a residence in the 1100 block of Douglas Avenue. After returning the ladder, a 49-year-old man approached him while holding a snow shovel and told him to leave the area. The 49-year-old then shoved him and struck him with the shovel, causing minor injury.

During the assault, the 60-year-old drew a legally owned and registered handgun and fired two rounds, hitting the other man once. He immediately called 911 and waited for officers to arrive.

KDPS recovered the shovel involved, two 9mm shell casings and the handgun. The man who was shot was taken to a nearby hospital where he remains in stable condition.

The man who fired the shot is cooperating with the investigation. Based on the evidence gathered so far, including video obtained by detectives that appears to support his account, he was not arrested.

The investigation is ongoing and will be forwarded to the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s Office for review once completed.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 269-337-8139. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the Kalamazoo Silent Observer tip line at 269-343-2100, via the “P3Tips” app, or online at www.KalamazooSilentObserver.com.

By authority of: Public Information Officer Zach Hamelton