In the early morning hours of December 16, 2021, a fatal encounter unfolded at Cheers Pub in Roseland, a town near South Bend, Indiana. Rolando Saenz Jr., a 39-year-old male, was at the establishment when an argument escalated into a physical altercation. The dispute involved Saenz, two women, and another man. This confrontation took a deadly turn when the other man, later identified as Michael Allen Miles, pulled out a handgun.
Surveillance video from the bar captured the harrowing
moments that followed. After the initial physical struggle, bar staff intervened and forced Miles out of the establishment. However, he returned and was seen on the video pointing a gun at Saenz and firing a single shot that struck him in the chest. Saenz was rushed to a nearby hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased. Following the shooting, Miles fled the scene in a white Jeep.
The St. Joseph County Police Department quickly took the lead in the investigation and, within 48 hours, had identified and arrested their suspect. Investigators were able to identify Michael Miles, a 31-year-old from South Bend, through witness testimony and the crucial surveillance footage. A search of Miles' home uncovered clothing that matched what the shooter was wearing in the video, as well as a gun box and ammunition consistent with the evidence found at the scene.
Michael Miles was charged with murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. He was already on parole for an armed robbery in Michigan at the time of the shooting. In September 2022, Miles pleaded guilty to the murder of Rolando Saenz Jr. The following month, he was sentenced to 55 years in prison for his crime. This sentence is to be served consecutively with two other cases he has in Michigan.
