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Middleton (June 23, 2012) |
SOUTH BEND – The search is on for the person who badly shot a South Bend man early Saturday.
Family members say 30-year-old David Middleton was shot several times in the head before wrecking his car into the side of a garage.
St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Commander Tim Corbett told WSBT Middleton was most likely shot near the intersection of North Adams Street and Lincolnway West just after 5:00 Saturday morning.
His family says he was shot four times in the head and the only thing keeping him alive was a ventilator.
Police Saturday evening said Middleton was in "very critical" condition at a local hospital, but there was no word on any update to his condition Sunday morning.
Evidence shows after he was hit by bullets, Middleton got into a vehicle and drove roughly a mile before crashing the vehicle into a garage in the 1700 block of Hamilton Street.
"We woke up from somebody driving through our yard,” said Rosemary Davis. “It hit a bush in the front of the house that stopped him, then he took out a gas meter, then he took out the neighbor’s rear end of her car, then he went through a fence and through our garage.”
That house and garage are located where Adams Street turns into Hamilton. The destruction all around the South Bend home is the result of a man fleeing for his life.
Davis woke up when the car went smashing through her garage and called police as she watched an injured man crawl out.
"But we saw him get out of the car and sit on the swing, and then he kind of fell over and the paramedics tried to help him, but I understand he's in critical condition today."
Middleton's was hoping and praying he could survive his injuries.
"He's just lying there with a tube in him, it's not good,” said Marjorie Smith, the victim’s aunt. “No, it's not good, it's not good, not good. You don't expect this to happen to somebody who doesn't get in trouble. You don't expect this."
"You can't affiliate David with crime or with anything bad because he's just a sweet person, he never got in trouble, never got in trouble at school or any of that," said Janeth White, the victim's godmother.
And as police and family try to figure out who committed this crime, there are prayers all around.
"I hope he pulls through, that shouldn't happen, people should not be shooting one another,” said Davis.
According to Middleton's family, David doesn't have any children and isn't married. But he is very close to his sister and his mother. He actually worked at his mother's daycare, and was very active in his church and the church's youth group.
According to his family, he has no criminal record. And we weren't able to find any record on him in this area.
