South Bend police today announced that St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter won’t charge a juvenile who recently fatally shot a man in a convenience store.
The shooting occurred May 21 around 9:15 p.m. at the Logan Quick Mart at Logan Street and Jefferson Boulevard. Police say the juvenile got into an argument outside with 56-year-old Jerry Barnett of South Bend. The teen then entered the store and Barnett followed him, and the two shot at each other. Barnett was dead when police arrived.
Police later found the juvenile with a gunshot wound that wasn’t life-threatening. They said Cotter declined to file charges because self-defense could not be disproven.