From left: Amarion Cutler (St. Joseph County Jail), Nagomba White Jr. (St. Joseph County Jail), Josiah Small (Boyd and Son Funeral Home).
Two men from Indiana have confessed to pursuing four boys and opening fire on them, tragically resulting in the death of a 12-year-old and the injury of a 14-year-old in what prosecutors have described as a deeply distressing incident.
On Monday, Amarion Cutler, aged 19, admitted to two charges of aggravated battery related to the 2023 killing of Josiah Small and the wounding of another boy in South Bend. He received a 25-year prison term, accounting for the two years he has already spent in custody. As part of a plea deal, charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder were dismissed.
Nagomba White Jr., 22, last week pleaded guilty to murder and battery by means of a deadly weapon. He’s slated to be sentenced on Oct. 3.
According to earlier reports by Law&Crime, the event took place around 9 p.m. on October 27, 2023, as three 12-year-olds and a 14-year-old walked through an alley. The group eventually split, leading to a brief encounter between two of them and two men in a vehicle. After the boys moved on, the situation turned violent.
“The two individuals made a U-turn with their car and pursued the boys,” Cotter explained. “They both exited their vehicle and fired their guns at the group of boys, who were still close enough to each other despite having dispersed.”
The South Bend Police Department was alerted by a ShotSpotter notification about gunfire in the vicinity. Upon reaching the site, officers discovered two boys had been shot. Tragically, 12-year-old Josiah Small was declared dead on the scene, while the other boy, aged 14, survived despite sustaining a gunshot wound to the leg.
Investigators obtained video of the incident, which depicted the suspects making a U-turn after their initial interaction with the boys and speeding towards them. They exited the car, with one suspect targeting Josiah and his companion, while the other pursued the remaining boys nearby. The footage captured the moment shots were fired, as indicated by visible muzzle flashes.
Investigators identified the two suspects as White and Cutler.
Cotter declined to describe the “brief confrontation” between the suspects and victims. He said the killing marked a sad day for the community.
“Every murder is senseless to those of us that don’t do that,” Cotter said. “But gosh darn it, this one just tears at your heart.”
According to his obituary, Josiah played football for Dickinson Middle School and had celebrated his 12th birthday party just seven days prior to his death.
“He enjoyed watching anime and YouTube,” the obit said. “He also loved wrestling and spending endless hours enjoying the company of his baby sister who he truly adored.”
His mother, Erika Small, told the South Bend Tribune that she moved her family months before the shooting to a safer area because she feared her son “being at the wrong place at the wrong time and something happening to him.” She said the charges didn’t make her feel any better “but it is reassuring that [police] are doing their job and that they care.”
