CASSOPOLIS — A Dowagiac teen is going to prison after shooting another person in the stomach last November.
Marcus Anthony Haskins, 18, of Orchard Street in Dowagiac, pleaded guilty to assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and was sentenced to consecutive terms of four years to 10 years in prison on the assault charge and two years in prison on the felony firearm charge.
Haskins has credit for 203 days served and must pay a total of $1,326 in fines and costs.
The incident occurred Nov. 22, 2024 in the area of West Telegraph and Orchard Streets in Dowagiac. Police responded to reports of a shooting and a young man with a gunshot wound to the stomach.
Assistant Prosecutor Jason Ronning echoed statements made by Haskin’s juvenile probation officer.
“She said he was a very likable kid who would continue to hang out with others who got in trouble,” he said. “She said he always had an excuse and that whatever happened was someone else’s fault.”
“He says the same thing here, that he was with others and shots were fired,” Ronning said. “A witness said the defendant chased him down the street waving a gun and that at least four shots were fired. The defendant ran home and hid the gun.”
“This was not a situation where he encountered someone and there was a fight,” he added. “He was looking for a person, he running around the streets looking for someone … He was fortunate the victim wasn’t killed. If he had died, there would be a clear case for premeditated murder and life without parole in prison.”
Ronning said he wants to make sure the message gets out to other area youth. “I think this sends a message to kids in Dowagiac that we know who they are and what they are doing,” he said. “Once you reach the age of 18, you’re not going to be treated like a child.”
Defense attorney Don Sappanos said his client wasn’t passing the buck. He noted there had been a longstanding problem between Haskins and the victim and between their families.
“Does that justify what he did? No, no,” he said.
“What did happen that there was a group of boys in front of his mother’s home and they called him out,” Sappanos added. “He should have called the police and not confronted them himself. He was not driving around town looking for them and shooting them.”
Haskins read a letter he had written the victim. The letter noted that he would take back his actions that day if he could. He apologized for his actions and said he didn’t expect the victim to forgive him.
Cass County Circuit Court Judge Mark Herman told Haskins to use the experience to turn his life around.
“You will be young when you get out,” he said. “Don’t sit around and stew about what happened. It takes a bigger man to do the right thing than the wrong thing.”
“The reality is that what others think about you isn’t important,” he added. “I hope you realize that when you pull out a gun and shoot a person, you could spend the rest of your life in prison. At your age, that’s a long time. When you’re fooling around with guns and pull the trigger, you have realize the consequences including being six feet under.”
“If you both don’t put it behind you, someone is going to get killed,” the judge said. “It will get to some point where you don’t even know the reason why you’re fighting. If you’re not man enough to put this behind you, you will be in a courtroom again or a funeral home. That’s just food for thought as you contemplate your life.”
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