SOUTH BEND – On Wednesday, troopers with the Indiana State Police and Indiana State Police SWAT Team attempted to serve a search warrant at a residence located in the 1600 block of Eldora Court in South Bend, IN, at approximately 1:15 p.m. on July 30, 2025. This warrant was the result of a drug investigation that spanned two months.
Troopers attempted to take the suspect into custody outside the residence, but he ran, leading them on a foot pursuit of approximately a half block. The suspect ran into the residence and fired multiple shots from inside the residence towards SWAT Team members who were moving in. Swat Team members returned fire, and the suspect then barricaded himself in the residence, refusing to come out.
Contact was made with the suspect, and negotiators spoke to him several times over the time he was barricaded in the home. Negotiators eventually lost contact with the suspect after officers heard a round of gunfire from inside the residence. SWAT Team members made entry into the residence at approximately 3:30 p.m. and found the suspect, Justin Hufkens, 35, deceased from suspected gunfire.
An autopsy is pending.
After this investigation, all information will be turned over to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office for review. There is no other information to release currently.
The Indiana State Police was assisted at the scene by the South Bend Police Department, South Bend SWAT Team, St. Joseph County Police Department, and IUSB Police Department.
