A 29-year-old employee died Wednesday after an accidental gunshot to the head inside a Discount Tire store office on Grape Road, police said. The St. Joseph County coroner determined the death was accidental, and investigators said a nearby shots-fired call was unrelated.
Police identified the man as Curtiss Walker of Mishawaka. The case is in its early stages but officials said the evidence points to an unintentional discharge inside a closed office at the tire shop late Wednesday afternoon. The store is in a busy retail corridor along Grape Road in Mishawaka, north of downtown South Bend. The ruling from the coroner shifted the inquiry from a possible outside threat to a workplace incident. Detectives with the Mishawaka Police Department are reviewing statements from those who were in the office and checking any available security footage. No one else was injured, authorities said.
Officers were called just before 5 p.m. to the Discount Tire on Grape Road, where they found Walker with a gunshot wound to the head inside an office off the lobby, police said. He died at the scene. Mishawaka Police Sgt. Steve Headley said Walker had been in the office with two other people when the gun went off. “This was an accidental shooting,” Headley said, adding that the group had been handling a friend’s handgun before the discharge. Investigators later emphasized that a separate shots-fired call reported nearby shortly before the death investigation began did not involve the store or the people inside it. The coroner’s office formally ruled the death an accident after examining the scene and medical findings.
Authorities described the firearm as a semi-automatic handgun brought to the business by a friend, according to initial police accounts. Officials have not said who owned the gun, who last handled it or whose finger was on the trigger when it fired. Police also did not release the firearm’s make, caliber or whether a safety was engaged, citing the ongoing investigation. The office where the shooting happened was closed to customers and separated from the lobby by a door, Headley said. Walker’s identity, age and hometown were released after family was notified. Workers and customers were inside the building at the time, but no bystanders were struck, police said.
Mishawaka sits along the St. Joseph River east of South Bend, and Grape Road is one of the city’s main commercial corridors. The Discount Tire shop where the shooting occurred is part of a national chain that sells tires and wheels and performs installation. Accidental shootings inside workplaces are uncommon but not unheard of; local agencies have handled isolated cases at businesses and private offices over the years. In this instance, police immediately treated the store as a secure scene and closed the office area while detectives documented the layout and collected ballistic evidence. The incident drew a swift response from patrol officers familiar with recent calls in the area, which is dense with strip malls and restaurants and typically busy during the evening commute.
Officials said the St. Joseph County Coroner’s Office completed a preliminary assessment Thursday, ruling the death accidental based on the gunshot wound and scene findings. As of Saturday, no criminal charges had been filed, and police said any charging decisions would depend on whether evidence shows reckless handling or violations of gun laws. Investigators are conducting follow-up interviews with the two people who were in the office with Walker and are reviewing any store surveillance video. The department did not release 911 recordings or incident reports, which are still being processed. A full autopsy report and toxicology, if ordered, typically take weeks to finalize. Police did not indicate whether the firearm has been sent for additional testing.
Walker was an employee at the store and was known by coworkers and regular customers, according to police. Headley said officers spoke with staff members who were working the evening shift when the shot was fired. Several employees remained on site to provide statements as detectives went office to office. A small group of shoppers waited outside while the investigation continued. The store’s lobby lights stayed on as squad cars idled under the canopy, and yellow tape blocked the entrance to the administrative area. “We want to be thorough and respectful to the family,” Headley said. “Right now, the evidence supports that this was a tragic accident.”
The investigation remains open. Police said they expect to release an updated incident summary once interviews and evidence reviews are complete. The next public update may come after the coroner’s formal report is filed or if prosecutors announce a review. As of Sunday, Feb. 1, authorities had not announced any hearings or briefings tied to the case. Detectives asked anyone who was inside the store around 5 p.m. Wednesday and has not spoken with police to contact investigators through the department’s non-emergency line.
Author note: Last updated February 1, 2026.