Niles business offers reward for information after Sunday morning shooting results in property damage

Published 1:07 pm Tuesday, November 16, 2021

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NILES — A local business is looking for answers after an early Sunday morning shooting resulted in property damage.

Curly Q’s BBQ, 1125 Wayne St., is seeking information regarding a shooting that took place Sunday morning at approximately 12:30 a.m. near the intersection of 13th Street and Wayne.

The Niles Police Department does not have any leads in the investigation at this time. Anyone with information is asked by police to contact the Niles Detective Bureau at (269) 683-0404.

Curly Q’s is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who has information that leads to the arrest of the perpetrators.

According to Curly Q’s owner Tyler Haines, bullet damage was caused to the front door and windows in the building’s facade.

The restaurant is closed today due to being sold out of product but will be open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The incident comes as a shock to Haines, who discovered the damage to his property Sunday morning while preparing to participate in a fundraiser benefit and silent auction for Brandon Stattler — a Dowagiac native who suffered a serious injury last month — hosted at Front Street Pizza.

“We were coming in to do a donation for the benefit,” Haines said. “We initially thought that some kids had broken the window with rocks.  After notifying the police, we were informed that they were bullet holes. We were appalled; We love and do our best to take care of our community.”

The damages to the building, formerly home to businesses including Trotter’s BBQ & Grill and Princes Meat Market, will cost several thousand dollars to repair, according to Haines.

“We are determined to keep the historical integrity of the building that used to be Princess Meat Market,” he said. “Even making sure we can replace the large windows and the original door to the building from 1925 to 1929 with something as close.”

Curly Q’s has been a fixture in the Niles community since opening in 2018. Haines and his family are thankful for the support the business has seen in the days since the incident and are confident those responsible will be held accountable.

“We appreciate our loyal customers and our new customers,” he said. “This community has been so good to us. We are enjoying serving them good homemade food from our own family recipes. Our motto is ‘from our family to yours.’ We view this community as an extension of our family. We were devastated that someone would exhibit harm to our business in such a violent way. It’s a blessing that we weren’t in the building and that the tenant upstairs was not hurt. A small setback sets us up for a huge comeback. We’re so grateful to everyone for their support.”