Pictured is the Harvey House bar in Constantine Tuesday. On Saturday night, three people were shot and injured in a shooting that took place at the bar. A suspect was arrested in the incident.
By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
CONSTANTINE — Four people were injured in a shooting that took place at the Harvey House bar in Constantine Saturday.
According to the Centreville-Constantine Police Department, police were called to the bar at 11:53 p.m., where three victims with gunshot wounds were found on what they called a “chaotic” scene, with patrons fleeing the area.
A fourth victim reportedly sustained a broken leg after jumping from the second story of the building to escape the gunfire. All were enroute to two different hospitals.
Police say two of the shooting victims had non-life-threatening injuries, while a third was listed in critical condition.
A suspect was identified and taken into custody a short time later. The suspect also reportedly sustained injuries, and was transported to a third hospital. After they were medically cleared, they were lodged in the St. Joseph County Jail.
In a statement posted to their Facebook page Sunday, the Harvey House stated the incident was an “isolated event” and was the result of a “targeted attack,” and the people involved were not patrons of the bar.
Surveillance video was shared by the bar on Facebook Monday that they say was not meant “to invade anyone’s privacy, but to provide critical evidence.” The post claimed stated that there was a group that “came with the intent to assault one person,” and the targeted individual, “fearing for their safety, ended up firing a weapon during the incident.” The footage did not show the actual shooting.
“The individuals involved were not patrons of our establishment, nor were they connected to our entertainment. They arrived with the intent of confronting a specific individual,” the bar stated. “We are fully cooperating with law enforcement and will continue to support their investigation in every way we can. Our thoughts are with those who were injured and anyone affected by this distressing incident.”
The bar, in a separate Facebook post, said their employees were safe but also “shook” by the events that occurred.
“Our bar family is safe, and for that, we’re deeply grateful. But we’re also tired — emotionally and physically — after the events of last night. It shook us. We’ve taken time to come together, debrief, and support one another through every angle of what happened,” the restaurant stated. “We’re holding each other close, and we’ll take these next few days to rest and heal. We’ll be back with open hearts and steady hands on Wednesday. Thank you for your love, patience, and understanding.”
The bar indeed opened back up on Wednesday.
A GoFundMe page to support the medical expenses of the victims was also shared by the bar. It can be found at gofund.me/f17a50dd.
The investigation into the shooting is still ongoing. Police were assisted on scene by the Michigan State Police Marshall Post, St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, Three Rivers Police Department and LifeCare Ambulance.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Centreville-Constantine Police Department at (269) 435-4355.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
