South Bend police fatally shoot man near elementary school

A shoulder patch for the South Bend Police Department. (Image Provided/South Bend, Indiana, Police Department via Facebook)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Northern Indiana police say South Bend police officers fatally shot a man Friday near an elementary school after he apparently pointed a gun at officers during a stand-off.

Police say witness statements and police video show that 51-year-old Dante Kittrell was threatening to take his own life Friday morning and appeared to be waving a handgun near athletic fields outside Coquillard Elementary School.

St. Joseph County Police say South Bend officers sent to the scene tried for nearly 40 minutes to de-escalate the situation and calm Kittrell before members of the department’s SWAT team opened fire about 12:30 p.m. EDT Friday.

Kittrell later died at a hospital.