SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - A trial date has been set for a man charged in the shooting of an 8-year-old girl in South Bend.

18-year-old Tommy Gatheright will appear in court on March 23, 2026, in connection with the August 17 shooting of Royalty Dillard.

The shooting happened in the 800 block of Lindenwood Drive. According to court documents , Dillard was shot in the head and projectile fragments remain in her skull.

Court paperwork also shows 37 rounds were fired from two separate guns, including a 9-millimeter.

Investigators say Gatheright was arrested 11 days after the shooting on an unrelated warrant.

According to court paperwork, police found text messages on his phone from hours before the shooting referencing the area where it happened.

As for Dillard, she is making remarka

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