A 46-year-old Edwardsburg man has been identified as the person killed Tuesday after an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement following a reported home invasion and house fire in Cass County.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Tony Duaine Artusi.
Deputies were called at 12:08 p.m. to the 29000 block of Davis Lake Street in Jefferson Township after a 911 caller reported a man had kicked in a front door and was armed with a handgun.
A second call from a woman at the residence indicated her husband was inside the home and armed. Both callers fled the home through a back door before deputies arrived.
While speaking with the callers, deputies discovered the home was on fire. The suspect was believed to have fled north into nearby woods, prompting a perimeter and a multi-agency search.
Investigators later received reports of a person matching the description in a field off Harris Street. Deputies and Michigan State Police troopers located the man near railroad tracks and attempted to make contact when shots were fired, the sheriff’s office said.
A second sighting placed the suspect near Pine Lake Street and Harris Street, where deputies and troopers encountered him in a field. During an exchange of gunfire, the suspect was shot and incapacitated.
Officers rendered first aid until emergency crews arrived, but the man later died from his injuries.
The Michigan State Police Sixth District Investigative Response Team is investigating the shooting.
Agencies assisting included Michigan State Police, Edwardsburg Police, Ontwa Township Police, Cassopolis Police, Pokagon Band Tribal Police, Edwardsburg Fire Department, SMACS Ambulance and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office Victim Services Unit.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cass County Sheriff’s Office or the Michigan State Police Niles Post.
