Jason Porterfield, Jr. was shot at Birch Park Apartments last Thursday
SAGINAW, Mich. (WJRT) - The shooting death of a 19-year-old in Saginaw has prompted calls to shut down an apartment complex.
Jason Porterfield died over the weekend after being shot in the back of the head last Thursday.
The stepfather of Jason Porterfield is Dominque Alexander. He is a Texas minister and civil rights activist who believes the Birch Park apartment complex is dangerous and that the city should close it immediately.
"Jason was a passionate kid,” says Alexander. “A kid that wouldn't have hurt anyone. He didn't deserve what happened to him.”
Porterfield was living in Saginaw but not at this complex.
Police are continuing to search for suspects in the murder.
Alexander is the founder and CEO of the Dallas-based Next Generation Action Network. This civil rights organization advocates for social justice, equity, and an end to violence across the nation.
He believes Birch Park Apartments should be shut down.
"We will not stop until city leaders, the mayor, and the city council do something about this apartment complex," he says.
The last deadly shooting that happened at the complex happened in 2022 when 18-year-old Izaiah Danks was shot there and died about a month later.
Saginaw Police say crime has been reduced over the past few years at the complex, and the department works closely with the Birch Park management.
The complex management says its number one priority is the safety of residents and visitors.
Alexander says despite the claims that violence has decreased here over recent years, it's not enough.
"We see the gate open,” says Alexander. “We see ways where many people can come straight through and run back out. You cannot tell me that they have done every measure to be able to make sure this is a safe apartment complex.”
Saginaw Police Chief Bob Ruth says he believes there has been progress in making it more safe for residents in recent years.
He says there will be renovations there, which will include surveillance cameras.
