Police give details on Saturday Sturgis homicides, suspect's death

Don Reid, Sturgis Journal
·2 min read

CENTREVILLE — In a Monday afternoon press conference, Sturgis Public Safety Director Ryan Banaszak and St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman detailed the Saturday night shooting deaths of two Sturgis residents and the Sunday police shooting of suspect David Algarin, Jr.

The homicide victims were identified as Stacey Mae Ramsey, 38, and Jerry Longacre, 61.

St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman and Sturgis Public Safety Director Ryan Banaszak read prepared statements about the double homicide in Sturgis Saturday night and the Sunday officer shooting of suspect David Algarin, Jr.
St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman and Sturgis Public Safety Director Ryan Banaszak read prepared statements about the double homicide in Sturgis Saturday night and the Sunday officer shooting of suspect David Algarin, Jr.

Banaszak said Sturgis officers responded to a call at 10:46 p.m. Saturday about a woman shot in the road at South Centerville Road near South Street. Witnesses said before police arrived, Algarin drove back and struck the woman with his car, then fled the area.

Ramsey was transported to Bronson Methodist Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Officers located Algarin in the Sweet Lake Mobile Home Community on U.S. 12 just west of Sturgis, where he fled.

While conducting a safety sweep of the park, Banaszak said they located the body of Longacre, who was shot.

St. Joseph County Sheriff’s deputies took over that investigation.

Banaszak said they have not developed “any clear motive, what happened or why. We are diligently working to determine those.” 

Around 11 a.m., a license plate reading camera located Algarin’s vehicle passing in Sturgis. Sheriff vehicles spotted the car and began a chase eastward toward Bronson. Algarin turned north to M-86, where he turned back toward Colon.

Bingaman said because the annual Magic Festival was underway on the community streets, his deputies used a “pit maneuver” to force the car off the road into a bean field just inside Branch County. 

Algarin communicated with 911 dispatchers during the chase “it was clear he had homicidal and suicidal indications," Bingaman said.

St. Joseph County dash camera footage shows officers with guns drawn after forcing Algarin off the highway.
St. Joseph County dash camera footage shows officers with guns drawn after forcing Algarin off the highway.

Bingaman said Algarin was shot. As a standard practice with an officer-involved shooting, Michigan State Police were called to handle that investigation.

Bingaman provided a video from the one car in the chase with a camera.

Neither of the two law enforcement officers answered questions because of the ongoing investigation. Both promised the St. Joseph and Branch County prosecutors would get the final reports.

Algarin was on probation for December 2020 aggravated domestic violence against Ramsey when both lived together inside Branch County near Burr Oak.

West Michigan and northwest Indiana media gathered in Centreville for the press release Monday afternoon.
West Michigan and northwest Indiana media gathered in Centreville for the press release Monday afternoon.

Ramsey said he head-butted her in the stomach several times, then took and destroyed her cell phone when she called 911.

Algarin pleaded guilty on October 11, 2021. He served 60 days in jail and was on two years' probation.

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Algarin completed 30 days in jail for May and June probation violations in July. He contacted Ramsey against court orders. He also threatened to kill an employee and damage one of two Admiral Stations in Sturgis and Branch County, court records revealed.

---Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Police give details on Saturday Sturgis homicides, suspect's death