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SOUTH BEND — A Niles man has been arrested and charged in connection with a homicide on Easter morning in South Bend.

28-year-old Marcus Hatcher of Niles was arrested and charged with murder and firearm enhancement Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office in connection to the murder of 24-year-old Eddie Tyler IV of South Bend. Through an investigation and processing of evidence by the South Bend Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit, Hatcher was identified as a suspect.

In the early morning hours of Sunday, April 9, South Bend Police responded to the 200 block of S. Lafayette Boulevard to investigate reports of shots fired.

As officers were investigating, they were advised that a victim suffering from a gunshot wound arrived at Memorial Hospital. The victim, 24-year-old Eddie Tyler IV of South Bend, ultimately succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

According to court documents, two individuals – identified as Tyler’s brother and one of their friends – were on the scene when Tyler was struck by gunfire while sitting in the backseat of a vehicle with them. 

Documents state that Tyler’s brother told police he was arguing with another individual on the scene prior to the shooting. Video footage police obtained from the area showed Tyler’s brother getting into an argument with a man wearing all black, later identified as Hatcher.

According to police, at one point, Hatcher pulled a rifle out of the trunk of another vehicle in the area. Tyler and his brother are later seen with their own handguns.

Hatcher began shooting towards Tyler and his brother before getting into the vehicle he pulled the rifle out of and driving away, per police. 

He is currently in custody in Niles.