PORTAGE (WWJ) - A 39-year-old man fatally shot his wife and young child before turning the gun on himself in Southwest Michigan on Tuesday evening, officials confirmed.
Portage police said Henry Bates, 39, his 31-year-old wife, Brianna Bates, and their 6-year-old daughter, Zenzia Bates, were all found dead inside their multi-unit home on Milham Avenue near Sprinkle Road.
The scene unfolded within minutes of the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport and roughly 7 miles south of downtown Kalamazoo.
Police said officers responded to the home after getting reports of shots fired around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday.
The unit's SWAT team was called to the scene when officers could not make contact with anyone inside one of the apartments.
Portage Department of Public Safety Director Nicholas Arnold told WWJ that they were able to secure the area, but the home was eerily quiet.
Crisis negotiators continued to reach someone, but after two hours with no response, police made their way into the home and found the three bodies inside.
“Sad day. Sad, sad day,” Arnold said via WOODTV after the couple and their child were discovered. "Horrible night. Horrible week."
Police said there were three other children, ages 3, 11 and 13, inside the apartment when the shooting started, but managed to run away.
They are said to be with a relative.
“We were trying to see if we could get in there and rescue whoever was in there,” Armold said of the police response. “But unfortunately we were too late for that.”
In Kalamazoo County court records obtained by WOODTV, Henry had a history of domestic abuse against his wife after he was accused of attacking Brianna in January and February of this year.
In January, Brianna accused her husband of chucking a phone at her and punching her in the face and shoulder. A month later, he allegedly attacked Brianna again, hitting her repeatedly in the face.
Police said Henry violated the conditions of the bond by drinking at the time -- the two cases against him were eventually dropped.
The court records revealed Brianna was granted sole custody of her children and was living separately from Henry in 2016. The records from the beginning of 2022 showed the couple were back living together in Kalamazoo.