Story Created:
Jul 22, 2009 at 5:57 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Jul 22, 2009 at 5:57 PM EDT
SOUTH BEND – A girl suspected of fatally stabbing a South Bend boy might have acted in self-defense, according to authorities.
The girl, who has not been identified because she is a juvenile who has not been arrested or charged, allegedly stabbed 17-year-old Antoine Webb in the neck outside LaSalle Park Homes in the 3700 block of West Jefferson Boulevard about 11:15 p.m. Saturday.
Webb later died of his injuries.
Metro Homicide Unit Assistant Commander Michael Grzegorek said Wednesday morning the girl was questioned and released after the stabbing, but that the case remains under investigation.
"No charges were appropriate at the time we interviewed her," Grzegorek said.
Asked if that meant the girl might have acted in self-defense, Grzegorek said that was one possibility investigators were considering.
"Could be," he said. "We want to look at all the possibilities and make sure that if the case is charged, all appropriate charges are brought."
Authorities had not previously disclosed that a suspect had been identified in the case, the city’s 10th homicide this year.
The stabbing reportedly stemmed from an ongoing argument between two groups of people to which Webb and the suspect belonged. It began with three women, Grzegorek said, and expanded over several weeks to include multiple parties.
On Saturday, Webb and several others reportedly arrived at the suspect’s residence at LaSalle Park Homes and began taunting several people inside, including the suspect.
Eventually, Grzegorek said, the suspect and several others came outside and a fight broke out, during which Webb was stabbed in the neck.
Little else is known about the incident, including the relationship, if any, between Webb and the suspect.
Frank Amato, Webb’s former football coach at Washington High School, called Webb’s death a "tragedy."
"He was a good kid," Amato, now interim head football coach at Adams High School, said today. "His life ended too soon, the game ended too soon. He still had a couple more quarters to play ... it’s heartbreaking."
Amato coached Webb as a sophomore in 2007, when Webb played quarterback for the junior varsity team.
"He was intense," Amato recalled. "He was intense from the standpoint that he really wanted to do well, and he became frustrated with himself when he didn’t."
But it was a quiet intensity, Amato said.
"He wasn’t a loud kid," he said, "and he was very respectful to me — a very respectful kid — and a kid who really tried, really tried."
Webb was listed as a quarterback on Washington football’s 2008 varsity team roster. He would have been a senior this year.
Family members could not be reached for comment.
Staff writer Erin Blasko:
eblasko@sbtinfo.com
(574) 235-6187
