A dispute in South Bend, Indiana, in the early hours of May 14, 2022, turned deadly when 32-year-old Eric Johnson was shot and killed in the 3700 block of W. Jefferson at the La Salle Park Homes. An argument between Johnson and another man, John Parnell Thomas, escalated into an exchange of gunfire. An eyewitness reported both men fired; ballistic evidence indicated Thomas fired twice and Johnson fired ten times.

Johnson sustained two gunshot wounds, one to the heart and one to the lungs, the chest wound proving fatal. Thomas fled the scene in his car; his passenger, 25-year-old Annaliese Matson, was struck by gunfire and died in the vehicle. Thomas was later arrested and charged in connection with Johnson’s death and, in March 2023, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received a 20-year sentence.

Did anyone in the area see or hear the argument before shots were fired?