In the winter of 2016, a family dispute in South Bend, Indiana, escalated to a tragic conclusion, leaving a young man dead and a family fractured. On the night of December 11th, in the River Park neighborhood, 25-year-old Curdin Alexander Gizewski was shot and killed. The incident unfolded in the 1300 block of South 31st Street, where police responded to a call of shots fired and discovered Gizewski deceased at the scene from a gunshot wound.
The investigation into the male's death
quickly led to the arrest of 47-year-old James Raymond Griffin. Griffin, who was known to Gizewski, was taken into custody on a preliminary charge of voluntary manslaughter. Reports from authorities indicated that the shooting was the result of a family altercation that had turned violent. Several other people, including at least one other adult and two children, were present in the home at the time of the shooting but were unharmed.
The legal proceedings that followed took a significant turn. Despite the initial arrest and charge, the case was presented to a grand jury to determine if the shooting was justified. The prosecutor's office requested the grand jury review due to evidence of previous violent interactions between Gizewski and Griffin, which raised the possibility of self-defense or defense of others. In March 2017, the grand jury returned a 'No Bill,' signifying their decision not to indict Griffin. Consequently, no formal charges were filed against him in connection with Curdin Gizewski's death.
