On the afternoon of October 21, 2022, police in South Bend, Indiana, were called to the 500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue following reports of gunfire. Upon arrival around 3:30 p.m., officers discovered a 16-year-old male, Noelle Riggins, suffering from gunshot wounds in a residential yard. Despite emergency response efforts, the teenager was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators located two cell phones near the victim, a discovery that would become a critical piece of evidence in unraveling the events that led to the shooting.
Detectives determined that one of the phones belonged to Riggins, while the other was linked to 39-year-old Sidney James Hockaday. Analysis of the digital communication revealed that the two had arranged a meeting at that location for Riggins to purchase marijuana. Surveillance footage from the area captured a gold-colored Chevy Tahoe stopping in front of the yard where the victim was found. The video showed the front passenger door opening, followed by the sound of gunshots before the vehicle sped away. Witnesses provided a description of the driver that matched Hockaday, whom they later identified in a lineup.
The investigation uncovered a close existing relationship between the victim and the suspect; although not biologically related, they considered each other family, with Riggins referring to Hockaday as 'uncle.' Court documents later detailed that the transaction had evolved into a robbery attempt, during which a struggle for a handgun ensued inside the vehicle. A week after the shooting, Hockaday voluntarily surrendered to the South Bend Police Department. He was subsequently arrested and faced multiple felony charges, including murder, dealing in marijuana, and a sentencing enhancement for the use of a firearm.
Following a jury trial, Hockaday was acquitted of the murder charge but found guilty of the lesser included offense of Level 2 felony voluntary manslaughter. He also pleaded guilty to the firearm sentencing enhancement. The trial court initially imposed a sentence of 25 years for the manslaughter conviction, with an additional term for the firearm enhancement. In March 2025, an appellate court reviewed the case, affirming the manslaughter conviction but ruling to reduce the term of the sentencing enhancement to five years, citing specific statutory guidance regarding the use of a firearm during the commission of the offense.
