On the evening of April 20, 2023, a violent tragedy unfolded in South Bend, Indiana, claiming the life of an 11-year-old boy named T’yon Len Horston. Around 5:00 p.m., police officers responded to ShotSpotter alerts and 911 calls reporting gunfire in the 600 block of North Johnson Street, a residential area on the city's northwest side. Upon arrival, first responders discovered the young male victim suffering from gunshot wounds on the front porch of a home near the intersection of Johnson
and Longley streets. T’yon, a sixth-grader at Jefferson Traditional Middle School who was known for his love of sports and goofy personality, was rushed to Memorial Hospital but was subsequently pronounced dead.
The investigation revealed that T’yon had been an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a shootout between two individuals. Witnesses reported seeing a male dressed in all-black clothing and a ski mask firing a rifle from an alleyway across the street, while another individual, described as wearing red, returned fire. The shooter in black, later identified by authorities as 18-year-old Dominick Williams Jr., fled the scene in a white Dodge Charger. The vehicle, which had been reported stolen from Indianapolis, broke down blocks away in the 2100 block of North Johnson Street. Witnesses then observed the suspect abandoning the disabled car, carrying firearms, and entering a white SUV that had arrived to pick him up.
A massive manhunt ensued, involving the South Bend Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit and the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force. On May 22, 2023, over a month after the killing, law enforcement located and arrested Dominick Williams Jr. at a hotel in Fishers, Indiana, near Indianapolis. He was transported back to St. Joseph County and charged with murder and a firearm enhancement. The court set a cash bond of $50,000, which Williams posted in July 2023, allowing his release while awaiting trial—a development that caused distress within the community and the victim's family.
Legal troubles for the primary suspect continued to mount while he was out on bail. In September 2024, Williams was arrested again in Indianapolis after GPS monitoring data linked him to a burglary where a firearm was stolen. Consequently, his bond in the South Bend murder case was revoked, returning him to custody. Additionally, in July 2024, prosecutors charged 22-year-old Arthur Leon Taylor with assisting a criminal, a Level 5 felony. Court documents allege that Taylor was the driver of the SUV who picked up Williams after the stolen Charger broke down, later admitting to police that he drove Williams to the area before the shooting and helped him flee the scene afterward. Williams' trial, originally scheduled for late 2024, faced delays as the legal proceedings moved into 2025.
