Suspect sought in Morton Avenue shooting death
ELKHART — An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for an Elkhart man suspected of shooting a man to death after walking into in his bedroom in March.
Michael Dandridge, 39, is charged with the March 21 murder of David Strowder Sr. inside the 50-year-old man’s home at the south end of Elkhart.
Dandridge is accused in court documents filed Monday of walking into Strowder’s residence at 2425 Morton Ave. and shooting him, then walking out and telling the man’s family not to call the police.
According to court documents:
Elkhart police responded to the residence at around 7:25 p.m. after a woman called 911 and said her husband had been shot. Officers found Strowder in a back bedroom, on the floor between the bed and the wall, and he was declared dead a short time later after medics arrived.
Witnesses described seeing Dandridge arrive in a white SUV and walk up to the house with a drum magazine for a gun in his waistband. He was also described as having a black firearm in his possession.
He allegedly opened the bedroom door and had a short conversation with Strowder before witnesses reported hearing one to two gunshots. Witnesses later saw that Strowder had been shot.
A child in the home was heard saying “Why did you shoot my dad?” while gripping Dandridge’s leg as he walked out, according to police. As he left, Dandridge allegedly told her and her mother not to say what happened or to bring up his name.
Dandridge allegedly got back into the SUV and drove away.
An autopsy at the Homer Strycker School of Medicine, Western Michigan University, determined that Strowder died of a gunshot wound to the chest. His death was ruled a homicide.
