On the afternoon of April 12, 2021, a violent shooting occurred in the 1500 block of South Fellows Street in South Bend, Indiana, claiming the life of a local teenager. 16-year-old Edwardo Rivera was in an alleyway near his home accompanied by his brother, his girlfriend, and a friend, William Hardin. Witnesses reported that a gunman approached the group and opened fire, striking Rivera multiple times.
According to court documents, the assailant continued to fire shots even after Rivera had fallen to the ground and was attempting to shield his face. Rivera sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Hardin, who was 17 years old at the time, also suffered gunshot wounds but survived his injuries.
Investigators quickly gathered evidence from the scene, including spent shell casings and a handgun holster found nearby. DNA testing on the holster linked the item to a suspect, and witness descriptions corroborated the events in the alley. Two days after the shooting, on April 14, 2021, police arrested 18-year-old Danate Lowe on a warrant. Lowe was apprehended following a traffic stop of a vehicle believed to be connected to other recent shootings in the area. During the stop, officers recovered a disassembled semi-automatic handgun and ammunition that matched the evidence found at the murder scene. Fingerprints on the weapon further implicated Lowe in the crime.
Danate Lowe was subsequently charged with murder, battery by means of a deadly weapon, and a firearm sentencing enhancement. In February 2023, a jury in St. Joseph County found Lowe guilty on all counts. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Lowe had ambushed the group and targeted Rivera specifically. Following the conviction, Lowe, then 19, received an aggregate sentence of 53 years in prison. The sentence included 45 years for the murder charge, three years for the battery of the second victim, and an additional five years for the firearm enhancement, with the terms ordered to be served consecutively.
