South Bend police Friday announced that prosecutors have charged four suspects in a July shooting with possessing machine guns. It’s a growing problem but these aren’t the machine guns you’ve seen in old gangster movies.
The shooting, around 1 a.m. July 28 in the 1300 block of Bissell Street, sent four people to the hospital with gunshot wounds that they survived. Crime scene technicians verified more than 200 rounds were fired from multiple guns.
All four suspects face charges of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, but prosecutors also have charged two of the men, 21-year-old Deshon Gates and 24-year-old Jacob Pittman, with possession of a machine gun.
To allow for rapid-fire, suspects add a little plastic device called a “switch” to a semi-automatic handgun so that one trigger pull sprays multiple rounds like a machine gun.
Police have said the switches can be easily bought online or made with 3D printers in minutes.
It’s not the first time for Pittman. Court records show he pleaded guilty in 2022 to possessing a machine gun. St. Joseph Superior Judge Jeffrey Sanford gave Pittman a one-year prison sentence but suspended it.
Police have warrants out for their arrests and ask people to call Crimestoppers with tips.
