Jury selection set for man accused in South Bend boy’s death

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the trial of the first of eight people charged in a 2-year-old South Bend boy’s shooting death last year.

The South Bend Tribune reports that proceedings start Monday in 19-year-old Robert L. Griffin’s trial. He is charged with murder and attempted murder in the April 9 death of John Swoveland Jr.

Prosecutors accuse Griffin of pulling a handgun and opening fire on a rival gang member. Authorities say the boy was struck by a stray bullet from the gunfight. He was playing in a relative’s front yard.

Griffin was arrested in Mishawaka about a week after the deadly shooting.

The trial is scheduled for Feb. 16 in St. Joseph County Court.