New details: 2-year-old victim of gun violence in South Bend

New details: 2-year-old victim of gun violence in South Bend
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SOUTH BEND, Ind.- Detectives are investigating the shooting of a 2-year-old in South Bend. As that toddler recovers, investigators say they’re trying to figure out where it actually happened.


South Bend spokesperson Ken Garcia says there was never a call made on the shooting on South Chapin. Officers found out about the shooting from two women who flagged them down, Monday night at the intersection of Main and Sample.


“…by two women who were in a van to let us know that there was a child in the vehicle with a gunshot wound to the left foot,” says Garcia.


In the van, a 2-year-old little girl, who immediately was taken to the hospital. “From what I understand stable, it was a non-life threatening injury,” adds Garcia.


Police say the two women that caught the officer’s attention are related to this toddler and told police the shooting happened along South Chapin, which is right by Our Lady of Hungary church.


“That’s where officers went to investigate where the shooting took place,” says Garcia. “We know it happened at that home, we’re still trying to determine where specifically.”


One neighbor lives just feet away from where the shooting took place. “I saw the cop cars, you knew it wasn’t something small,” he says.


He’s been living on this block his whole life  and says gun violence has not let up.


“You sit out here in the nighttime, you’d be surprised of what you hear,” he explains. “It has been getting worse; the newer generation is crazier than what we were.”


He fears for the safety of his family and even has a message for the community, “Put the guns down. Stop shooting, because they’re ending up somewhere and it’s going to be bad.”

That neighbor says he doesn't know the family involved in this shooting, but understands it could happened to anyone.


ABC57 News confirmed the Special Victim's Unit is not involved in this investigation; South Bend Police is taking over. Garcia says it's hard to tell when this investigation will wrap up since there are still a lot of unanswered questions. 

"In any investigation we try to get as much information as we can to really figure out what specifically happened last night in the house," says Garcia.

Garcia adds there is no threat to the community, "Obviously they’re looking into everything that took place, every piece of information from witnesses, should the community be concerned? No I don’t think the community has anything to be concerned about at this time."

Because of the child's age, ABC57 News asked if child services was contacted, to Garcia's knowledge he didn't think so. 

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers or South Bend Police.



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