Family remembers South Bend man killed in shooting on Saturday

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — On Sunday afternoon ABC 57 News met with the daughter of a man who was shot and killed in South Bend early Saturday morning. 

Mariyah Flinn, 17, went through picture after picture with ABC 57 News showing her father Joshua Flinn, 36, in old family photos, at Lake Michigan, and in the last picture we would ever take with all four of his children. 

“It’s kind of hard to believe,” said Flinn. 

South Bend police officers found Flinn’s body at Phillips 66 on North Lafayette Boulevard just before 2 a.m. on Saturday. According to St. Joseph County Metro Homicide investigators, he had been fatally shot. 

When that news reached Flinn’s daughter, she was devastated.

“Out of all this time, now at the moment we never thought it would happen,” said Flinn. 

She said it’s possible her father was driving for Uber when he stopped at the gas station early Saturday morning. CMHU looking for two other men, they have identified as persons of interest, who stopped at the station also. 

Flinn said she doesn’t know either of the men or why her father was targeted. 

“Not knowing is what hurts the most,” said Flinn. 

Flinn said the loss hurts her brothers and sisters and her four-month-old son. She said her son will now only have pictures to remind him of his grandfather. 

“Why’d you have to shoot him and kill him like he has kids out here he has a family out here that loves him and they just took that away,” said Flinn.  

Flinn is the first fatal shooting in South Bend for October. City police data shows 8 fatal shootings from January to August of 2019.

ABC 57 News has reported on four deadly shootings in September. 

Flinn’s daughter said it’s possible her father’s funeral will be next Saturday, but she wants the violence to stop. 

Anyone with information regarding these individuals or this investigation is asked to call CMHU at 574-367-0974 or Crime Stoppers at 574-288-STOP.