St. Joseph County Sheriff Bill Redman just issued a statement on his department's response to Memorial Hospital early this morning when angry crowds descended on the facility following the shootings at Kelly's Pub.

Redman says the hospital was put on lockdown.

He goes on to say, "We cannot solve violence with violence! What I'm asking today is that we STOP the violence! STOP the shootings! Our community has suffered enough."

Read the entire statement here:

In the early hours of Sunday morning our County Police Department assisted South Bend Police Department as they dealt with multiple shootings within the city of South Bend, including multiple people being shot at Kelly’s Pub on Mishawaka Avenue and other reports of possible shots fired.

Additionally, our County Police officers assisted SBPD at Memorial Hospital controlling a crowd of over 100 upset and angry citizens that came to the Hospital from Kelly’s Pub, causing a lockdown at the hospital. While SBPD officers dealt with the Kelly’s Pub shooting and other shots fired calls, our County Police officers assisted by answering the SBPD emergency calls.

Last week my administration and I had multiple communications and meetings with SBPD administration about the possibility of increased violence, and the safety of both our community and our police officers. I am committed to assisting the SBPD upon their request, and to ensure peace and order when necessary.

As the Sheriff of St. Joseph County, I swore an oath to ensure the safety and security of all its citizens and have also personally worked hard building trust and bonds between our local police departments and all the members of community, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or economic position. In my short time in office, I believe we have made huge strides towards respecting & trusting one another and working together. There is a lot of work to be done yet here in our community and I am committed to being involved in this dialogue and hand on in the process of healing the wounds and bridging the gaps that exist in our community.

I strongly encourage the citizens of St. Joseph County to continue meeting peacefully and voice their concerns peacefully, and not with acts of violence. We cannot solve violence with violence! What I’m asking today is that we STOP the violence! STOP the shootings! Our community has suffered enough. The problem will only get better when law enforcement and our community work together, and I am committed to doing just this.

Lastly, I want to thank the all dedicated police officers, EMTs, firefighters and dispatchers of all the departments who responded to these multiple calls overnight and thank all of those who respond every night to ensure our safety.

Sincerely,

Sheriff William J. Redman