Felipe Gutierrez, 46, was fatally shot on the afternoon of Saturday, May 20, 2017, while sitting in the driver’s seat of his black BMW in the Charles Black Recreational Center parking lot in South Bend. Gutierrez, originally from Aguascalientes, Mexico, and a long‑time employee of Silgan Plastics in Ligonier, had arranged to buy an iPhone 7 for $200 through Facebook Marketplace. Two people entered the backseat to complete the sale; a confrontation turned into a robbery when the man behind the passenger produced a gun and demanded money. A witness in the car complied, and Gutierrez reportedly reached for a weapon stored in the driver’s door panel. The man in the back seat shot Gutierrez, and the two assailants fled, leaving a cell phone behind in the vehicle.

The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit identified suspects quickly. Two 17‑year‑olds, George Lee Watson and Qualan Jones, were arrested on preliminary murder charges within days, and a 16‑year‑old was also detained. Investigators said the iPhone sale was a ruse; Watson allegedly admitted to arranging the meeting. A fifth suspect, 16‑year‑old Devin Brantley, was arrested in November 2018. George Watson Jr. was charged with murder, felony murder, and robbery, and Qualan Jones was charged with felony murder.

Did anyone in South Bend or Ligonier see the black BMW or remember the parking lot that day?