A dispute that began inside Elva’s Fiesta Club on Indiana Avenue in South Bend on November 25, 2017, ended with 35-year-old Tolies B. Word Jr. dead of a gunshot wound. Word went to the parking lot believing Brandon McKinney had assaulted his wife, confronted McKinney, and fired a handgun, wounding him.

A security guard who witnessed Word shooting at McKinney intervened and fired at Word, striking and killing him. The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit reviewed video and witness statements, and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office ruled the guard’s use of deadly force justifiable; the guard was not charged for the shooting but was later charged with a misdemeanor for carrying a handgun without a valid license. McKinney suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Word was remembered as a father of four who ran Black Diamond Lawn Services and had a big sense of humor. Did anyone who was at Elva’s Fiesta Club that night see more of what happened in the parking lot?