A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of Robert Pulliam Jr. in the Wayne Street parking garage in South Bend.

South Bend Police arrested Derrick Pratcher, 33, of Elkhart, in connection with the shooting which happened late Sunday night, March 5.

Pulliiam Jr. died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head.

Pratcher has been charged with one count of murder, one count of unlawful carrying of a handgun and one count of unlawful carrying of a handgun as a felon. He was also charged with a firearm enhancement.

The following information was released by the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office from the probable cause affidavit:

On March 5th, 2023 at approximately 11:23 pm, officers with the South Bend Police Department responded to a call of shots fired at 121 E Wayne Street, St. Joseph County, Indiana, in reference to shots fired.

When officers arrived, they located a male unresponsive in the parking garage, with a gunshot wound to the head. An autopsy later confirmed that Mr. Pulliam died as a result of that gunshot wound and the pathologist ruled the death a homicide. Officers learned that Mr. Pulliam worked as a security guard for the garage and was working that evening.

Among other things seized during a search of the garage, officers located a spent shell casing near Mr. Pulliam’s body and a spent projectile.

Police found the witness who had called 911 (for purposes of this affidavit, he is identified as Witness 1). Witness 1 was hiding in the upper floors of the garage and was visibly distraught.

Officers learned that Witness 1 is employed as a Venues and Parks Ambassador and was working that night, along with a partner (for purposes of this affidavit, the partner is identified as Witness 2). Part of the duties of VPA is to patrol various areas of the City.

Officers spoke with both Witness 1 and Witness 2 separately. Both witnesses stated that while they were patrolling city owned property, they entered the garage and encountered a male (later identified as PRATCHER) on the 1st floor. They both advised that the male was driving a new dark colored Kia Sportage with a Florida license plate. That vehicle was parked in the exit lane of the garage near 2 vehicles. They told us that they did not know this individual.

Both witnesses advised that because the male was loitering around the VPA vehicles parked there, they approached the male and inquired if he needed anything. The male was described as a medium complected black male approximately 30 years old, 5’8”-5’9” 130-140lb, wearing a black jacket and/or sweatshirt. This male mentioned that one of the vehicles in the garage belonged to a family member. Both witnesses stated that they drove out of the garage.

Witness 2 was scheduled to leave, but asked Witness 1 to park across the street from the garage and continue to observe the male they had encountered.

Noting that the male was now coming up to other vehicles in the garage that belonged to the City of South Bend, Witness 1 notified the garage security guard of this fact. A short time later, Mr. Pulliam arrived while the male was still canvassing the vehicles that belonged to the City. Witness 1 advised us that both he and Mr. Pulliam then approached the male as he was still loitering around their vehicles and spoke to him. Ultimately, Mr. Pulliam told the male to leave and that he was trespassing.

Witness 1 told us that at some point during this interaction, he observed Mr. Pulliam take a photograph of the male’s black Kia, which included the license plate. Witness 1 then walked away to call 911 for assistance.

Witness 1 stated that as he walked away, he saw Mr. Pulliam turn his back to the male and use his cell phone (officers were able to confirm that Mr. Pulliam was calling 911).

Witness 1 told us that as Mr. Pulliam’s back was turned, the male pulled a handgun from his satchel bag, and shot Mr. Pulliam in the head from short range. He stated as he took cover, he heard a vehicle leave the garage. When officers arrived shortly thereafter, the Kia was not in the garage and neither was the male suspect.

Officers recovered Mr. Pulliam’s phone and sent it to the St. Joseph County Cybercrimes Unit for analysis. The Cybercrimes Unit was able to recover the information from Mr. Pulliam’s phone, which confirmed that Mr. Pulliam had taken a photograph of the Kia at 11:21 pm. This photograph also was able to capture the license plate number.

Officers also obtained video from various cameras in South Bend. In doing so, officers were able to confirm that a black Kia Sportage bearing a Florida plate (with the same plate number as found in the photograph) was seen on security footage leaving the parking garage immediately after the shots were fired and prior to law enforcement arrival.

A BMV search of the Florida license plate showed it return to a Kia Sportage owned by Hertz Rental Car Agency. Officials at Hertz confirmed that PRATCHER had been renting that same KIA since February 13th, 2023. Officials at Hertz advised that PRATCHER used his driver’s license to rent that vehicle.

An examination of the BMV photograph of PRATCHER matched the age and physical description of the male identified by Witness 1 and Witness 2.

In the afternoon of March 6th, location technology showed that the Kia was in Vandalia, MI. Cass County Sheriff (Michigan) Deputies responded to that area and located that Kia in a park and found PRATCHER was the sole occupant of the vehicle.

Officers located a handgun in that vehicle, which PRATCHER confirmed as his. Ray Wolfenbarger, an Expert Firearm and Toolmark Examiner, compared the shell casing located next to the body of Mr. Pulliam with shell casings test fired from that handgun recovered from PRATCHER. Expert Wolfenbarger also compared the spent projectile with projectiles test fired from that same handgun. According to Expert Wolfenbarger, the shell casing and projectile located in the garage were fired from the handgun recovered from PRATCHER.