Cass County, MI – A Cassopolis man is being held on a $1 million bond following a Fourth of July shooting investigation in Cass County in which authorities allege he fired at a vehicle occupied by six people before later assaulting a woman.
According to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched at approximately 9:22 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, 2026, to the 62000 block of Stephenson Street in Howard Township for a reported shooting.
Investigators said deputies were initially sent to the area of White Street and Dailey Road, where they located the suspect and a second victim. Authorities allege the suspect, identified as William Werner, 33, of Cassopolis, had crashed his vehicle into a utility pole and, after exiting the vehicle, allegedly assaulted an adult female.
The subsequent investigation determined a shooting had occurred on Stephenson Street. According to the sheriff’s office, Werner allegedly fired at a vehicle occupied by two adults and four juveniles. No one inside the vehicle was injured.
Werner was taken into custody and lodged at the Cass County Jail. During his arraignment in 4th District Court, a judge set his bond at $1 million, according to the sheriff’s office.
The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities have not released the names of the victims because of the active investigation.
The Michigan State Police, Cassopolis Police Department, Central Cass Fire Department, and Edwardsburg Ambulance assisted at the scene.
As with all criminal cases, the allegations have not been proven in court, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
