Brandon M. Smith was 31 when he was shot to death in South Bend, Indiana, in the early morning hours of December 19, 2021. The shooting happened around 2:45 a.m. near Franklin Street and Ewing Avenue; his 22-year-old girlfriend, ShaeLeigh Zeiger, was also killed at the scene. Police found both victims with gunshot wounds after responding to reports of gunfire.

Smith worked as an operating engineer apprentice with Local 150 and was remembered by family and friends as compassionate, dependable, and devoted to his loved ones, his Harley, and Notre Dame football. Investigators treated the deaths as a double homicide, but a July 2022 grand jury declined to indict, finding the evidence raised the possibility the shooter acted in fear of serious bodily injury or death. No arrests were announced during the initial investigation, which police described as isolated and not a threat to the public. The Violent Crimes Unit has continued to seek witnesses and additional evidence.

Did anyone in the South Bend area see or hear anything around Franklin and Ewing that night?