In the late hours of a spring evening in South Bend, Indiana, a verbal dispute outside a convenience store escalated into a fatal encounter that ended the life of 56-year-old Jerry Barnette. The white male became involved in a confrontation with a juvenile on May 21, 2025, outside the Logan Quick Mart situated at the intersection of South Logan Street and Jefferson Boulevard.
The disagreement, which began as a verbal exchange, prompted the juvenile to walk away and enter the store.
Barnette, however, followed him inside. Once inside the establishment, Barnette, who was armed with a firearm, re-engaged with the juvenile. This led to an exchange of gunfire between the two. The altercation left Barnette with a fatal gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shortly after the incident at the gas station, law enforcement officials were called to a residence in the neighboring city of Mishawaka. There, they found the juvenile who had been involved in the shooting, suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Investigators quickly connected his injuries to the events that transpired at the Logan Quick Mart.
Detectives with the Violent Crimes Unit conducted a thorough investigation into the shooting. They reviewed evidence, including surveillance footage from the convenience store. After presenting their findings to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office, a decision was made regarding the legal ramifications of the incident. Prosecutor Ken Cotter concluded that the evidence supported a claim of self-defense for the juvenile. The prosecutor's office determined that this claim could not be disproven beyond a reasonable doubt, and as a result, no criminal charges were filed against the juvenile. The case was subsequently closed, with the official ruling being a justified homicide.
