Editorial: Shooting unnerves Belleville residents

A group of revelers at Egan’s Pub last Thursday night were celebrating the Belleville High School football win over Stevenson. It was the team’s first home game this season and BHS prevailed. The game the week before also was a winner.
At around 11 p.m., all the fun turned to horror when gunshots rang out on the Pub’s doorstep and a car smashed into a building with four people inside. The man and the woman were shot, but the two-year-old girl and four-month-old baby were unharmed. The little girl was screaming and afraid and people ran over from Egan’s to comfort her and to tend to the wounded. Mary Winter started CPR on the man who had torn off his bloody shirt before collapsing on Fourth Street Square.
Before long, the two were rushed to the hospital by ambulance and police were blocking off Main Street for investigation. John Winter, one of the owners of Egan’s, gave the police paper cups to use to mark the locations of the 30-some casings.
The effect on the community was chilling. One man said he had lived in Ypsilanti and shootings have been common there for years. But in Belleville, this was rare.
This cozy small town had been considered safe, but now it was not. It was like all the other larger towns that were experiencing violence, residents are saying.
Remember when it was safe to walk your dog at night? Or, watch the stars?