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Jurell M. Fedrick

Age : 26

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 02/19/2023

Location : Corby Boulevard

City : South Bend

County : St. Joseph

State : Indiana

Agency : South Bend Police Department

Officer(s) :Unknown

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Passenger killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 02/19/2023, South Bend Police officers attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling on Corby Boulevard without headlights illuminated. Officers activated emergency lights and pursued the vehicle when the driver continued driving rather than stopping. Police escalated the pursuit through city roadways, and the vehicle ultimately crashed on Corby Boulevard. Jurell M. Fedrick, a passenger in the vehicle, sustained fatal injuries in the crash and died at the scene as a result of the police pursuit sequence that began with a headlight equipment violation.
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ARMED STATUS AND REASON FOR ENCOUNTER: Investigative reporting did not indicate that Jurell M. Fedrick was armed with any weapon. He was a passenger and not the driver of the vehicle that police pursued. The initial police contact stemmed from a nonviolent traffic equipment issue involving headlights, and no violent warrants or weapons-related circumstances were reported as factors in the encounter.
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INCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION AND SEQUENCE: Officers attempted a stop for the headlight violation and initiated a pursuit when the vehicle continued driving. The pursuit progressed along Corby Boulevard and surrounding streets before the vehicle crashed. Reporting characterized the pursuit as brief but directly connected to the crash that caused the fatalities. Emergency personnel responded to the crash scene and pronounced both occupants deceased due to crash-related injuries. The fatal sequence was tied to the police pursuit rather than an unrelated roadway event.
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FORENSIC AND MEDICAL FINDINGS: Fedrick’s death was classified as a vehicle crash fatality caused by blunt force trauma sustained in the collision. No police firearm discharge or direct physical force against the passenger was reported. The medical cause of death reflects impact injuries from the crash that occurred during the police pursuit.
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IDENTITY AND PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Jurell M. Fedrick was identified as a 26-year-old man connected to the South Bend community. Reporting framed him primarily in relation to the crash incident rather than any violent criminal context. As a passenger, there is no reporting that he was the subject of the attempted traffic stop or that he was wanted for any violent offense at the time of the incident.
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FAMILY RESPONSE AND PUBLIC STATEMENTS: The dual-fatality nature of the crash prompted community discussion and concern regarding the proportionality of initiating a pursuit over a minor traffic violation. Public discourse emphasized that a passenger who was not driving also died as a direct result of the pursuit. Community reactions questioned whether escalation of a chase for a nonviolent equipment issue created unnecessary risk to vehicle occupants and the public.
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LAWSUIT AND LITIGATION OUTCOME: Publicly available reporting has not widely documented a high-profile federal civil lawsuit specifically naming officers in connection with Jurell M. Fedrick’s death, though the case has been discussed within broader scrutiny of pursuit-related fatalities tied to low-level violations. The absence of prominent litigation coverage suggests the incident remained primarily within internal review and media reporting rather than extended civil court proceedings, based on accessible follow-up sources.
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PROSECUTORIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW: The incident was handled as a pursuit-related fatal crash investigation rather than a direct police shooting or restraint death. Available reporting does not indicate criminal charges filed against officers involved in the pursuit. Administrative and policy review standards typically apply in such cases to evaluate pursuit justification and compliance with departmental guidelines.
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IMPORTANT INSTITUTIONAL DETAIL: Passenger fatalities during police pursuits are often legally categorized as crash deaths rather than direct use-of-force fatalities, even when the pursuit is the initiating event. This distinction can significantly affect investigative outcomes, as prosecutorial review tends to focus on policy compliance and causation rather than criminal liability unless extreme negligence or policy violations are formally documented.
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OFFICER IDENTIFICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY: Officer identities were not prominently released in initial and follow-up reporting, and coverage referred broadly to South Bend Police Department officers involved in the pursuit. There is no widely reported criminal prosecution, termination, or disciplinary firing connected to the officers in mainstream follow-up reporting.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://apnews.com/article/south-bend-291535b310521c51948264b0afa18a52
https://www.wndu.com/2023/02/21/2-killed-after-car-hits-tree-south-bend-sunday-morning/
https://www.953mnc.com/2023/02/21/two-men-killed-in-crash-at-corby-blvd-and-jacob-street-in-south-bend/
https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/crime/2023/02/21/two-men-killed-in-corby-crash-involving-brief-pursuit-from-south-bend-police/69927256007/