SOUTH BEND — Lee Coleman said it was sunny and hot, the perfect day for a cookout at Southeast Park near Wenger and Fellows streets.

About a thousand people were there with family members and neighbors having a picnic, playing basketball and enjoying each other's company.

"I heard pop, pop, pop," said Coleman. She thought it was fireworks marking an end to a great community celebration. Tragically, it was bullets that killed one person and injured another.

"I heard the shots," said NC Coleman, reunion chairman. "I told everybody to get down so I could try and figure out what was going on."

A round of bullets sent the crowd running towards the street. Lee Coleman said, "It was like a herd of cattle running."

As people fled, the streets turned chaotic, making it difficult for police and emergency crews to respond to the shooting.

Sergeant Lee Ross with the South Bend Police Department said, "When I heard the call go out, I knew that it was going to be a problem especially with the people."

Ross said there were so many people, they called for backup from all over the county.

Yellow police tape was wrapped all over the park. Ross said most of the park was covered to protect the crime scene and the body, which was covered by a white sheet.

"I kept trying to dial 911 and the call wasn't going through," said Coleman. "So many people were calling."

Once police arrived, people continued to scatter. There was a lot of emotion from people who knew the victims and the reunion's coordinators.

"This kind of stuff puts a damper on what we are trying to do," Coleman said. "But we won't let it get us down."

Coleman said the day started perfectly for the families.

"A beautiful day that the Lord had made," Coleman said. "The devil got busy and we couldn't control it."

Around 8 p.m., the sun began to set, marking a tragic end to the reunion that celebrates the community and its people.

Lee Coleman shakes her head, recalling what happened just minutes earlier.

"I was just hoping and praying it was firecrackers, not gunshots."

Witnesses told officers that the suspect left the scene in a blue colored Buick Regal traveling south on High Street. Officers stopped the car at Indiana and High streets. The suspect was placed under arrest without incident, police said.

The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit is handling this investigation. Investigators have not released the name of the person who died.