Khalyiah Bell

The life of Khalyiah Bell, a 26-year-old Black woman, was cut short in South Bend, Indiana, on November 3, 2023. Just after 8:30 that morning, police responded to a call about a possible shooting at the Beacon Heights apartment complex on Curtiss Drive. Inside her apartment, they found Ms. Bell, who had been fatally shot. She was pronounced deceased at the scene, and an autopsy later confirmed she died from gunshot wounds. In the days that followed, family and community members gathered for a vigil in her memory.

The investigation by the South Bend Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit quickly focused on 22-year-old Juwan Dockery. According to witnesses, Dockery had been staying with Ms. Bell for a few days and they were in a dating relationship that she had recently tried to end due to abuse. Witnesses told police they heard the couple arguing overnight. One neighbor heard a gunshot outside the apartment, which was corroborated by a spent shell casing found near the front door, before hearing a second gunshot from inside the apartment. Security footage showed Dockery leaving the complex in Ms. Bell’s car after the shooting.

A key piece of evidence came from a live audio recording Ms. Bell started during the confrontation. In the recording, she can be heard arguing with a man she calls “Juwan.” The man, whose voice a witness identified as Dockery’s, demands to know the location of his gun and threatens to shoot her. The recording then captures a sound consistent with a gunshot, after which the man becomes frantic, yelling Ms. Bell’s name. Her voice is not heard again on the audio.

The day after the shooting, on November 4, 2023, police arrested Juwan Dockery. The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office formally charged him with murder and a firearm enhancement. He was held at the St. Joseph County Jail without bond.

The case proceeded through the court system for over two years. A trial scheduled for 2024 was canceled to allow for a court-ordered sanity evaluation of Dockery. In January 2026, Juwan Dockery pleaded guilty to murder in connection with Khalyiah Bell's death. His sentencing was scheduled for February 6, 2026.