SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – Court documents reveal more details about the murder of a South Bend police officer weekend off duty arrest.

David Finn, 35, was charged with domestic battery after he allegedly pushed his girlfriend to the ground in a “rough and aggressive manner,” court documents show.

Police said they were called to Finn’s girlfriend’s home early Sunday morning and spoke with South Bend officer Sgt. Aaron Knepper said he and Finn and his girlfriend were tailgating and at a local bar earlier in the day. Knepper reportedly told other officers that there was too much drinking at the bar and that he witnessed Finn and his girlfriend pushing each other.

Later, while everyone was at Finn’s girlfriend’s house, Knepper told officers that Finn and his girlfriend had gotten into a fight, which left him on the laundry room floor. Finn reportedly tried to stop his girlfriend from getting in her car and leaving when she then pushed him to the ground.

According to court documents, Finn told officers his girlfriend hit and pushed him at the bar. When a responding officer asked Finn how his girlfriend ended up on the ground, he reportedly replied that she was hitting on her and shrugged. When asked if he pushed her, Finn said he “kind of saved her from herself.”

When responding officers spoke with Finn’s girlfriend, she reportedly said “yes” when she told him there was an allegation of pushing and shoving an officer, but she later denied any altercation with the second responding officer. Court documents state the second responding officer saw a red mark on his right arm.

According to our reporting partners South Bend TribuneThe prosecution argues that Finn is not eligible for pretrial release because he was convicted of animal cruelty last Thursday. According to court documents in that case, Finn kicked a dog belonging to his daughter’s mother and threw it from his truck on Oct. 8, 2023, while picking up his daughter from her mother’s home in Mishawaka.

Witnesses and the mother of Finn’s daughter told police that Finn was rude to her daughter as he carried her to his truck and put her in the truck, according to court documents. An eyewitness told police that the girl’s harsh treatment and crying for her mother led him and another witness to suspect the girl had been abducted.

The South Bend Tribune reported that Finn was placed on restrictive duty by the South Bend Police Department due to animal cruelty charges. He has since been removed from all police duties pending further investigation following the alleged domestic incident.

Finn started as a South Bend police officer in July 2022, the South Bend Police Department said.

Stay informed about local news WNDU live and online. Be sure to download 16 News now APPLICATION and follow us YouTube Visit our page as we continue to bring you the latest on this developing story.

Copyright 2024 WNDU. All rights reserved.