On April 9, 2014, two-year-old John Swoveland Jr. was playing in the front yard of his aunt’s home on Campeau Street in South Bend when a stray bullet struck him in the chest and killed him. The shot came from a violent confrontation between rival gangs at Coquillard Park several blocks away; the bullet travelled more than 1,000 feet and struck John while he played. Investigators determined the fatal round was fired from a .357 Magnum revolver, which was later found hidden in an attic, and the inquiry focused on the gang activity in the park and nearby neighborhood.

Multiple people were arrested in connection with the shooting. Robert L. Griffin, age 19, was convicted of murder and attempted murder and received a 60-year prison sentence. A 15-year-old, Tyre Bradbury, was found to have supplied the handgun and was convicted of murder; several other young men and teenagers were charged and convicted for assisting in the crime and received various sentences. John’s death devastated his family and the community; the gap left by such a young victim remains a painful element of this case.

If anyone has information about that afternoon in Coquillard Park or the events leading up to the shooting, please share what is known.