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Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Michigan City officer's shooting of South Bend man ruled justified due to 'deadly threat'
The actions of a Michigan City officer who fatally shot a South Bend man during a pursuit in April 2025 were ruled justified. On May 29, the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office, acting as special prosecutor, found that the officer who shot a man on April 4 was legally justified in using deadly force to defend himself. Michigan City Police identified the officer who fired his gun as Sgt. Michael Oberle — a 15-year veteran of the department, The Tribune's reporting partners at WNDU-TV said — however a report from the prosecutor's office does not identify the officer by name. A Michigan City officer conducted a traffic stop around 5:30 p.m. at the 5800 block of South Franklin Street, near Walmart, for driving without headlights in reduced visibility, a Michigan City Police Department press release said. The driver and passenger in the car gave the officer their names. However, the passenger's name, who identified himself as 'Jose Martinez,' was associated with several active warrants, the prosecutor's office said. The officer began to investigate if the passenger was the same man, the prosecutor's press release said, but at this time, the passenger, who was later identified as Jose Meza, fled from the vehicle. Multiple officers, including Oberle, pursued Meza — a 21-year-old from South Bend — and observed Meza pull a firearm from his waistband and point it at the officers, the prosecutor's office said. Oberle was backing up the officer that initially conducted the traffic stop, Michigan City Police Chief Marty Corley told The Tribune. Meza fled across parking lots and hedges at a business before pointing his gun at Oberle, the prosecutor said. 'Believing that Meza posed a deadly threat, (Oberle) fired multiple shots, striking Meza,' the prosecutor's office report said. Meza fell to the ground, began to reach for his gun and Oberle fired two more shots, the prosecutor said. Meza was rendered first aid and transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the press release said. Indiana State Police District 13 Criminal Investigations Division investigated the shooting, finding evidence that showed Meza attempted to fire multiple times, but his gun malfunctioned, the prosecutor's office said. Oberle was placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation, a press release from Michigan City Police Department said. Indiana State Police presented the investigation to the county prosecutor's office for further review on May 21. The investigation is now closed, Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney Jacob R. Taulman said in a news release, and no charges were filed against Oberle. Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@ This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Michigan City cop faces no charges as fatal shooting ruled 'justified'
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Can Notre Dame take the next step? What Marcus Freeman has learned and what's next
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In almost exactly two months, Notre Dame will open preseason camp with something to defend and something to chase. Because as Marcus Freeman enters his fourth season in charge, Notre Dame's head coach will be both trying to recreate the magic of last season's run to the national championship game and figuring out how the Irish get over that final finish line. Advertisement It will take everything Freeman has learned on the job for the Irish to do either. On Thursday, Freeman met with a small group of reporters to set the stage for summer as Notre Dame balances two competing ideas. The program's 37-year wait since its last national championship is the longest since Knute Rockne won Notre Dame's first 101 years ago. And yet, it feels like the Irish may be as close to ending that barren spell as at any point since Lou Holtz left the building. 'Where am I better? The experience at every situation that has to do with being a head coach,' Freeman said. 'The experience with dealing with (media), the experience with dealing with making high-pressure situation decisions, the experience of two-minute situations, the experience of recruiting. I'm better at every area of being a head coach because of experience where there's no substitution for it, and that's what I have to continue.' Freeman did some professional development this offseason, sounding out Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni on what it took to win a Super Bowl after falling short before, going all the way in his fourth season. Freeman has made NFL connections before, from Mike Tomlin to Sean Payton. But the questions are different when there's a national championship game appearance on your resume. 'If you have a camera on me or you're in my brain 24 hours a day — 'Oh, he's better here.' Why? Because he's done it. He's experienced, he's more confident in it,' Freeman said. 'He's been there, but there's just not one area where I can point out and say, 'Hey, I'm better here than every other place.' I hope I'm better in every area and every aspect of being a head coach.' Two months from now, Freeman will need to start to show that on the practice field. Three months from now, the curtain will go up at Hard Rock Stadium against Miami. Advertisement As for what that show looks like, Freeman explained how some past experiences might inform future decisions while also detailing how last year's postseason continues to impact Notre Dame moving forward. When Tyler Buchner battled Drew Pyne to be Freeman's first starting quarterback, the competition wasn't entirely a fair fight. Freeman expected Buchner to win the job before the first practice period of camp. The sophomore figured as much too. Then Buchner suffered a season-altering shoulder injury in the season's second week and gave way to Pyne. Would the competition have turned out differently if Freeman was more open-minded? Probably not. But Freeman doesn't want to go down the same path of presumption with CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. 'I think what I learned from that is you don't ever go into a competition expecting somebody to win it. We will evaluate your performance, and that's what we'll do, right?' Freeman said. 'We're truly gonna evaluate both of those guys' performance. We'll make sure it's fair in terms of the reps, the situations they get.' The presumption is Carr will win the job with Steve Angeli out of the picture to Syracuse and Minchey remaining as the competition. And that presumption might become reality during the first couple of weeks of August. But Freeman wants to stress test both quarterbacks before choosing one. Maybe Carr struggles with a starter's burden. Maybe Minchey excels. The greatest unknown for Freeman is how either will react when the lights come on at Miami. Neither has started a game. Only Minchey has thrown a pass. It's all a big jump to opening night in south Florida. Working in favor of Carr and Minchey is they both have a year under offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, with Minchey also logging two with quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli. It's just that what's working against them is the thing coaches seem to value most: having been there and done that. Advertisement Neither Carr nor Minchey has. 'How do we find ways in fall camp to put them in as many high-pressure situations as we can?' Freeman said. 'One of them is to say, 'Hey, you know that you're going to be taken out if you don't execute.' Like, that's a stinky situation, but it's high-pressure, right? But what we've got to do is put them in as many of those situations, to get them to execute before we go and play down in Florida. So, that will be one of the ultimate challenges. 'In-game experience is a high-pressure experience. So, let's create that in practice.' Freeman may not come out and say this, but he knows Notre Dame ran into a better roster on Jan. 20. The Irish may not have taken their best shot at the Buckeyes in a game that collapsed around Freeman in the middle quarters, but it was clear Notre Dame needed to be much closer to perfect than it played. And that's because the Buckeyes had a talent edge before opening kickoff. Notre Dame doesn't have to get back to the CFP to change that reality either, with the 2026 Irish recruiting class ranked No. 2 in the 247Sports composite, one spot ahead of the Buckeyes. 'I'm always trying to get better, man. We want to be bigger, we want to be faster, we want to be stronger. I know that's a general statement, but I don't look at a team and say we need that,' Freeman said. 'You know what? Jeremiah Smith, I wouldn't turn away. He's dang good football player, but I'm pleased with what we got.' Catching Ohio State at the top of the food chain might be harder than what Freeman has already accomplished further down the roster. The Ohio State lesson in recruiting isn't just about topping off the roster with elite skill-position talent. It's about keeping the middle stout enough to endure a 16-game season. The Irish lost two starters on the offensive line during the CFP, never mind going without defensive tackle Rylie Mills and watching Jeremiyah Love come up lame. Advertisement That doesn't touch season-ending injuries to cornerback Benjamin Morrison and defensive ends Boubacar Traore and Jordan Botelho. Freeman said both ends, along with center Ashton Craig, would be back for Miami. 'The personnel you have that you can get through a 16-game season and have to use multiple different people with starters,' Freeman said. 'You go into the semifinals game and you're losing starters, putting backups in, but if you don't have the depth that you can put somebody and get the job done, then all of a sudden that becomes a hole and it becomes a deficiency and you lose.' A month ago Freeman counseled with a group of sports analytics experts, leaning into how to call a game with maximum efficiency. The analytics teams praised Freeman for how the Irish offense sequenced its play calling to get to fourth-and-short scenarios, the kind of down-and-distance where the math says go for it even if conventional wisdom doesn't always agree. 'I wanted to be like, 'I like your book and all those things, and thanks for the compliments, but the reason we went for it on fourth down was because of the confidence we had in getting that first down.'' Freeman recalled. 'And so, I sat with the offense and said, 'OK, Kenny Minchey isn't the running quarterback that Riley Leonard was — how do we create that confidence in the head coach that we can sequence things on third down, knowing that we're going to go for it on fourth down?' Herein lies the rub for Freeman. Going for it on fourth down with Minchey or Carr at quarterback won't make as much sense as it did with Leonard, even if the analytics are agnostic to a quarterback's ability to gain the hard yards. So how does Notre Dame get those inches when it absolutely needs them? Is there a get-out-of-jail-free card in this offense like Leonard's legs or former tight end Michael Mayer's catch radius? 'It's a great challenge for our offense and myself to come up with, 'OK, what will be our short-yardage packages,' right?' Freeman said. 'How do we find unique ways on offense to get an extra hat to the point of contact, so we feel very confident we'll get the first down? That's one of the great challenges we have.' Advertisement Working in Notre Dame's favor is an offensive line that could challenge for the Joe Moore Award, plus a running back in Love who might be the best in the sport. Working against the Irish, a green quarterback and a receiver group that still needs to prove itself. Yes, figuring out the starting quarterback will be a priority of the preseason. But once the Irish get that down, creating an offensive identity will be a close second. It's not clear exactly what that will be just yet, but if Freeman wants to call games with the same aggression as last season, he'll need to figure that out.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Should the Notre Dame-USC rivalry continue? Marcus Freeman makes his stance clear
Marcus Freeman wants the Notre Dame-USC rivalry extended. With the future of one of college football's most glamorous rivalries in doubt, Notre Dame's head coach weighed in on a series that began with Knute Rockne but might end with Lincoln Riley. This season's meeting in South Bend — the 93rd game in a series the Irish lead 50-37-5 — could be the final one in the series unless both schools agree on an extension. Advertisement 'Where I feel about USC is very clear, would love to play 'em every single year,' Freeman said Thursday. 'Don't matter when we play 'em, I would love to continue the rivalry as long as I'm the head coach here. I think rivalries are great for college football. I think they're great for sports.' Sports Illustrated reported earlier this month that the schools see the future of the series differently, with Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua pushing for an extension to the annual series between programs that have combined for 22 national championships, 15 Heisman Trophy winners and the most NFL Draft picks. USC reportedly doesn't want to enter into a long-term agreement with Notre Dame after its difficult debut season in the Big Ten amid uncertainty about the future of the College Football Playoff model. The Trojans finished 4-5 in the conference, tied for ninth in the league with Rutgers and Washington. Freeman looked back at the rivalries he has played in, including the Michigan-Ohio State series that rates among the sport's most-watched games annually. Before he was a starting linebacker for the Buckeyes, Freeman was an All-American at Wayne High school in Huber Heights, Ohio. 'I think back to high school when we played this team called the Centerville Elks where we were trying to go after this guy named A.J. Hawk because it was a rivalry,' Freeman said. 'Kirk Herbstreit went there. It was a huge rival. 'You got the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry — those contests are extremely important I think for all sports. And USC-Notre Dame is one that fits right into that category. I think it's great for college football and it's important for us. I'm very clear on wanting to continue that.' The Notre Dame-USC series has been played annually since it began in 1926, with exceptions for the COVID-19 pandemic (Notre Dame's 2020 trip to Los Angeles was canceled) and World War II (the teams didn't play for three seasons from 1943-45). Beyond that, the series has endured conference realignment and program upheaval, producing iconic moments because of it. Advertisement While it's less clear who needs the rivalry more in the expanding College Football Playoff era, it's obvious to Freeman that Notre Dame is reliant on the USC series for schedule-building purposes. As the sport moves more toward seasons being defined by making the CFP or missing it, Notre Dame's schedule becomes even more paramount, especially as the SEC ponders a move to a nine-game schedule and perhaps even a scheduling agreement with the Big Ten. If that agreement happens — several SEC coaches, including Brian Kelly, talked it up this week — it could put the Notre Dame-USC series in more peril while also leaving Notre Dame with some difficulty in scheduling other SEC or Big Ten schools due to a lack of availability. 'As far as scheduling, we know that we have to continue to have a challenging schedule to stay independent, and I know Pete Bevacqua and (deputy athletic director) Ron Powlus do a great job of making sure that we stay competitive enough but also not making decisions that are detrimental to our football program, too,' Freeman said. 'So we have to continue to have a competitive schedule that we're not going into the season and say, 'Hey, if you lose one game, you're out of the Playoff.' That's not the same as the SEC and the Big Ten and really any of the other conferences. 'We've got to continuously have a challenging schedule that is truly coast-to-coast.'
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Notre Dame offensive star gets another preseason honor
Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love has earned yet another preseason honor. A few weeks after he and cornerback Leonard Moore were named to Pro Football Focus' preseason All-American list, Love has now been named a preseason All-American by Athlon Sports. Advertisement Love ran for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, and he caught 28 passes for 237 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Those numbers have set expectations for 2025 -- analysts and pundits expect Love to be even better. Considering how much damage Love did to opposing defenses last year, a leap forward would be huge for the Irish. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Tim on X: @tehealey This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love gets another preseason honor
New York Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How CFP update benefits Notre Dame the most, plus loads of top 25s
Until Saturday Newsletter 🏈 | This is The Athletic's college football newsletter. Sign up here to receive Until Saturday directly in your inbox. Today in college football news, I have been handed another novelty can of Pringles: Miller Lite Beer Can Chicken flavor. Of course I'm gonna eat all of them, but I would have never guessed they're supposed to remind me of beer can chicken. Know how people like to complain about Notre Dame? Wait, I need to be much more specific. Know how people like to complain about Notre Dame still being an independent, decades after every other power decided to join one faction or another? Most recently, Notre Dame's independence become even more important when the new 12-team College Football Playoff began awarding first-round byes only to conference champions. Finally, a way to punish the Irish for their stubborn ways! What a grand comeuppance this will be, when those arrogant independents roll up with a No. 1 seed, then have to play in the first round agai— Oh. There goes that idea. After exactly one year of that format, Notre Dame is now eligible for first-round byes. This week, the CFP management committee announced the bracket will now be sorted strictly by rankings. South Bend, you owe a big thank you to Arizona State and especially Boise State for ranking among last season's top four conference champs — and thus claiming byes that would've otherwise gone to Texas and Penn State. Sure, this is mostly about making sure we don't have another scenario like last year, when No. 1 Oregon drew an instant rematch against a molten-hot Ohio State — while two-loss Penn State enjoyed being a big favorite until the semifinals. But after college football spent decades keeping teams like Boise out of the title picture, once the Broncos were a team that landed on a perch, this system felt even more immediately doomed. Either way, here's one way to look at the situation: The power conferences so hated giving up a couple spots to semi-randos that they decided to give up even more spots to Notre Dame. After all, who's going to swipe one of these bids more frequently: the Irish, or teams like Boise State? Notre Dame would've claimed byes in 2012, 2018 and 2020 and been one spot away in 2021 and 2024. One of the country's most bankable bye-claimers, actually. Overall, there are pros and cons about this updated CFP. 💎 Probably my favorite college sports read of the week: Lindsay Schnell on how college softball became a sport all about smashing lots of crowd-pleasing dingers. In hindsight, the biggest spike in offense was due to … the color of the ball. But there's still a lot more to it than just that. 👍 To absolutely zero surprise: 'Plans for a presidential commission exploring issues in college sports have been paused, a source familiar with the plans confirmed to The Athletic on Thursday.' Advertisement 🏈 'A Salt Lake City woman has accused BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff of sexual assault and battery, according to a civil lawsuit filed Wednesday.' News details here. ✈️ Nashville tourism is a major thing, but does any visitor ever think, 'I can't wait to go from one country bar to the Vanderbilt game to another country bar'? Luring explorers has long been Vandy's dream, but now the effort includes lessons taken from England's Premier League, of all places. 🎭 This week in 'Survivor: UNC': As noted on Tuesday, this week, The Athletic's college football staff paid tribute to the first quarter century of the 2000s by utilizing CFB's most honored number. I've already linked to a couple of these top-25 lists, but here are all five in one spot: And finally, circling back to this one: yet another Mandel top 25, this time an updated list of 2025 teams, with spring and portal stuff in the books. The top five, now that we've also all had much more time to study these teams than we'd had back in January, when Stewart posted his first top 25 of the year: The biggest gainer: No. 14 Oklahoma, up from No. 25. The Sooners recently added RB Jaydn Ott (Cal) and OG Jake Maikkula (Cal's ACC archrival, Stanford) to their totally overhauled offense. Also making a big jump is No. 19 Texas Tech, which has probably signed like 38 more players since I started writing this newsletter. Biggest tumble, all the way out of the list: No. 13 Tennessee. I still feel OK about the Vols despite all that portal turbulence. In post-spring SP+ rankings, they're No. 13. Stewart's updated top 25 is here, with explanations for each team included. And that's a wrap for this week. Holler at me: untilsaturday@ 📫 Love Until Saturday? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
