Scott Severns, Policeman, Jeffrey Finley, Mijell Redding

- South Bend, Indiana -

- Teens Attempt to Rob & then Kill Off-Duty Cop -

- The Victim -

- Scott Severns -

- 1970 - 2006 † -

- Off-duty Police Officer -

- Faces Life in Prison without parole -

- Jeffrey Finley -

- Age 17 -

- He shot cop 3 times -

- Faces attempted robbery charges -

- Mijell Redding-

- Age 18 -

- He drove get-away car and he drove Finley to Hospital -

- Finley is being held on charges of murder, felony murder, and attempted robbery, while Redding is being held on attempted robbery and assisting a criminal, for driving Finley to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center. -

- Charges filed in shooting death of Corporal Severns -

South Bend, IN - Emotions ran high Monday, as the community continues to look back on the life of Corporal Scott Severns.

Charges were filed against the teens accused of his murder Monday afternoon.

The South Bend Police Corporal died Sunday at Memorial Hospital.

The 36-year-old was gunned down Friday night on the city's eastside, during an armed robbery attempt.

Severns was off-duty and in civilian clothes at the time of shooting.

He was shot three times after he moved to protect a female friend from gunfire.

Severns was an eight-year veteran of the South Bend Police force.

Two teenagers are in police custody, accused in Corporal Severns' death.

Seventeen-year-old Jeffrey Finley, a junior at Clay High School, was released from Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center Monday morning.

He was injured when Corporal Severns returned fire.

Another suspect, 18-year-old Mijell Redding, was arrested early Saturday morning.

The St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office held a news conference Monday afternoon at the County-City Building in downtown South Bend.

Seventeen-year-old Jeff Finley is being held on charges of murder, felony murder, and attempted robbery; he was released from the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center Monday morning, after injuries he suffered on Friday night. The prosecutor says a female friend of Scott Severns, who was standing with him Friday, identified 17-year-old Jeff Finley, as the man who approached them, pointing a silver handgun at the pair.

Prosecutors say Finley, who is a junior at Clay High School, was wearing a ski mask when he approached Severns and his friend, with the apparent intention of robbing the pair.

Finley's friend, 18-year-old Mijell Redding, told police Friday that Finley said he wanted to "get some people".

Finley's friend, 18-year-old Mijell Redding has been charged with attempted robbery and assisting a criminal for driving Finley to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center. Finley is being held on charges of murder, felony murder, and attempted robbery, while Redding is being held in the jail on attempted robbery and assisting a criminal for driving Finley to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center.

St. Joseph County Prosecutor Mike Dvorak explains what happened when Redding told police that they pulled into the apartment complex next door to the shooting scene. "At that point, Mr. Finley got out of the vehicle with a loaded handgun and was wearing a ski mask over his face. Mr. Finley had said earlier, while in the vehicle, that he was going to 'get some people'. Mr. Redding said that Jeff Finley had made this comment, after having driven through the parking lot earlier, and saw people standing in the parking lot in the dark."

Dvorak says at the age of 17, Finley cannot have the death penalty waged against him. Instead, the prosecutors' office is asking for life without parole for Finley, who is the alleged shooter in the Severns' shooting case.

Both Redding and Finley will be arraigned Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 PM.

"I think me, being his mother, I should at least be able to see him, you know. I should at least be able to see him, if nothing else, cause he's just a juvenile. He's only 17," she said.

"Jeffrey Finley's mother says Jeff's never been in trouble, he's "mild mannered and quiet."

- Suspect's mother waiting for answers -

- Cassandra Finley is anxiously waiting to see her son, Jeff, who is believed to be involved in the death of Corporal Scott Severns -

By Robert Borrelli

South Bend, Indiana - Investigators have two suspects in custody for Friday's shooting of South Bend Police Corporal Scott Severns.

Eighteen-year-old Mijell Redding is jailed on a charge of robbery.

The other suspect is a juvenile, and as such, cannot be identified by police.

However, the suspect's mother contacted NewsCenter 16, concerned, because she has not been able to see her hospitalized son.

Cassandra Finley wants to see her son who's under guard at St. Joseph Medical Center.

She doesn't understand how he might have been involved in the death of Corporal Severns, leaving her with more questions than answers.

Waiting and wondering

"I have no answers to all the things that's being said,” says Cassandra.

The last time Cassandra Finley saw her 17-year-old son Jeff, he was leaving the house Friday evening.

She says he, "Came in, grabbed a Gatorade and left out."

Jeff, who is a junior at Clay High School, was with 18-year-old Mijell Redding, someone he'd known since grade school.

Jeff Finley is listed in fair condition. He is still undergoing treatment at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center

A phone call about 11:00 Friday night told Cassandra her son had been shot and was at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. She was told police considered her son a suspect in the shooting of South Bend Police Corporal Scott Severns.

When asked if she thinks her son was involved, Cassandra said, "I don't know. I don't know."

Jeff Finley is in fair condition at the med center and under 24-hour police guard.

Cassandra has tried three times to see her son, but was denied. Authorities say that's standard procedure until an initial court hearing.

"I think me, being his mother I should at least be able to see him, you know. I should at least be able to see him if nothing else, cause he's just a juvenile. He's only 17," she said.

Cassandra says Jeff's never been in trouble, he's "mild mannered and quiet."

However, while he's being held at the hospital, Mijell Redding is being held in jail on a preliminary charge of robbery in connection with Friday's shooting of Corporal Severns.

For now, Finley is anxious to know more about what happened. "I wanna' see my son first. That's my first step."

What happens now?

As soon as Jeff Finley is well enough, police officials expect he will be moved to the county jail. They expect him to be waived to adult court to face charges in connection with the shooting death of Corporal Severns.

Comment:

Needless to say, no one outside of the Michiana area knows that an eight-year veteran of the South Bend, Indiana, police force has been shot and killed by a Black male teenager. And his mother, Cassandra, said that he is "mild-mannered and quiet." If this is the kind of behavior that we can expect from Black males who are mild-mannered and quiet, then what should we expect from those who are loud and aggressive? If a killing such as this one is a preview of things to come for the law-abiding citizens of America, then we are quite evidently in for a lot of trouble.

It should also be said that if a veteran police officer cannot handle an armed-robbery situation without getting killed, then how is the average citizen supposed to come away from such situations unscathed?

Yours Faithfully, Liberty