In the early morning hours of November 24, 2019, the life of 26-year-old Katelyn Golden, a Black/African American female from Hammond, Indiana, was tragically cut short. An argument that began inside Coach's Corner bar on Kennedy Avenue spilled out into the parking lot, escalating to a fatal confrontation. Just before 1:30 a.m., as the dispute with a man continued, a single gunshot fatally wounded Golden. When police arrived, they found her with a gunshot wound to the neck; she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses at the scene described an argument between Golden and a man, and surveillance footage from the bar proved crucial in the investigation. The footage captured the man, later identified as 32-year-old Steven Maurice Todd of Hammond, arguing with Golden as they exited the establishment. As Golden approached the passenger side of a white Dodge Charger that Todd had entered, he was seen pulling out a black semiautomatic handgun and firing a shot. The car then fled the scene, leaving Golden to collapse in the parking lot. A friend who was with Golden told police the confrontation began when Todd bumped into them as they were stepping outside to smoke.
Following the shooting, a warrant was issued for Steven Maurice Todd's arrest, and he was charged with murder. Another man, Kyum Sajad Gillis, was identified as the driver of the getaway vehicle and was subsequently charged with assisting a criminal. Gillis provided a video statement to the police, identifying Todd as the shooter and detailing his own involvement. For a time, Todd remained at large, and his case was featured on the television show 'In Pursuit with John Walsh.' In June 2020, he was apprehended in California by the U.S. Marshals Service and extradited back to Lake County, Indiana.
In March, Steven Todd reached a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. He was subsequently sentenced to 12 years in prison. During an emotional sentencing hearing, Katelyn Golden's mother, Seniqueca Chase, addressed Todd directly, expressing the profound pain and loss his actions had caused her family, including Golden's two children. While stating that she forgave him, she also conveyed her deep-seated anger for the life he had taken. The judge, in his remarks, noted that Todd was fortunate to have received the plea deal, as a murder conviction could have resulted in a sentence of around 60 years.
