South Bend Fisherman Says He Returned Fire After Armed Man Shot at Him Along the St. Joseph River With His Kids in the Car
Key Takeaways
- Wayne Hubbard says he was fishing along the St. Joseph River in South Bend when a man fired at him, accusing him of assaulting his brother.
- Hubbard said his children were sitting in a nearby car during the confrontation and he begged the man not to shoot.
- Hubbard returned fire after the shot missed him, and the man who fired was hospitalized with serious injuries.
- After the shooting, Hubbard stayed on the phone with 911 dispatchers and waited with the wounded man until medical help arrived.
- Prosecutors had not filed charges against either man at the time of the report, and the wounded man's account has not been made public.
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
SOUTH BEND, IN — A South Bend man says a night of fishing along the St. Joseph River ended with him exchanging gunfire with a man who accused him of assaulting his brother, while his kids sat in a car nearby, in an overnight downtown shooting in late July.
Wayne Hubbard told WNDU that what was supposed to be a quiet night on the water turned into him staring down the barrel of a gun, as reported by WNDU. The man who confronted him was hospitalized with serious injuries.
According to Hubbard, the man accused him of assaulting the man’s brother earlier in the month. Hubbard said the brother is an unhoused man he has gotten to know. He denied the assault.
Hubbard said he tried to talk the man down.
“I told him at one point my kids are in the car, man. I am begging you, please don’t do it,” Hubbard said.
It did not work. The man pulled a gun and fired at Hubbard, he said. The shot missed. Hubbard fired back.
By Hubbard’s account, he pleaded first and fired only after he was fired upon. That is the mindset that belongs with a carry gun. Every word you can use before the trigger is worth using, and he says he used them with his family a few feet away.
“I needed to know that my daughter was going to live. I needed to know my fiancée was going to live. We’re talking about my family. I’ll do what it takes. But I did not want this,” Hubbard said.
After the shooting, Hubbard said, he stayed on the phone with 911 dispatchers and waited with the wounded man until medical help arrived. Staying at the scene and on the line puts a defender’s account on the record from the first minute.
The shooting was one of three that South Bend police were investigating from the same night, all within about an hour of each other. Police said the three were not related.
Prosecutors had not filed charges against either man at the time of WNDU’s report. The details of the confrontation, including the accusation and who fired first, come from Hubbard. The wounded man is not named in the reporting, and his side of the encounter has not been reported.
More from USA Carry:
- Homeowner’s Self-Defense Shooting of Chainsaw-Wielding Man Deemed Justifiable
- Philadelphia Carjacking Crew Picks a Driver Who Was Armed Too, Police Say
- Refused a Beer Without ID, He Returned With a Shotgun. Two Armed Customers Were Waiting.
- Argument Over Vape Leaves Two Dead in South Carolina After the Second Victim Returned Fire
- Driver Who Pulled Over to Avoid Road Rage Confrontation Fatally Shoots Man Who Attacked Him, Charleston Police Say
Hubbard said he hopes it stops there.
“As far as the family, I hope that it ends here. I hope that there’s no revenge because no revenge is necessary. I just want peace,” he said.
Read the original story: South Bend Fisherman Says He Returned Fire After Armed Man Shot at Him Along the St. Joseph River With His Kids in the Car