South Bend Police investigating home invasion on Illinois Street

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- South Bend Police are investigating a home invasion on Illinois Street Monday afternoon.

Officers were dispatched to Illinois Street near Linden Avenue around 2:20 p.m. after a call went out about shots fired inside a home there. Police say two unknown African American males entered the home and started shooting at two victims inside, but one of the victims shot back. Neither of the victims were injured.

The two suspects ran away, according to police, and the victims called 911.

Minutes later, officers say a man walked into the hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. After he was treated for the wound, police arrested 20-year-old Robert Baker for robbery, but police say there’s still a second suspect on the loose.

“I saw the police cars and I stopped because I’m concerned about our neighborhoods and our children and… it’s not good,” said Lonell Hudson and Richard Thomas, South Bend residents and local ministers with Michiana Community Male Chorus. Hudson says glad the victims are ok, but that it never used to be like this in his community and he’s on a mission to keep it from getting worse.

“When we were younger, a fist fight every now and then, but now it’s, everybody wants to grab guns. Everybody wants to take something from somebody else,” said Hudson. “All of this stuff they’re doing out here is not necessary. It’s not necessary, we need to love one another and that’s the message we’ve got for everybody.”

Baker is now booked at the St. Joseph County Jail being without bond. He is being charged with armed robbery with a deadly weapon or resulting in bodily injury to a person other than the defendant.

Police are still searching for the second suspect. If you know anything, call police right away at 235-9201 or Crime Stoppers at 288-STOP.