Prosecutor says deadly shooting in downtown Anderson appears to be self-defense
ANDERSON, Ind. — A deadly shooting in downtown Anderson may have been justified under the law, according to the local prosecutor.
Anderson police confirmed the shooter has not been arrested and the prosecutor said he does not expect to file any criminal charges in this case.
The violence took place just before 10 p.m. Monday in downtown Anderson.
While walking down the sidewalk along 9th Street, investigators believe a 51-year-old local businessman was playing a Pokémon-style scavenger hunt on his phone when a complete stranger ambushed him.
“Just about a block from the courthouse he was approached by a homeless person who punched him in the face and stole his cell phone,” said Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings.
Cummings said that is when the robbery victim pulled out his gun in a parking lot along 9th Street and killed 43-year-old Michael Piercy, just a few hundred feet away from the Madison County Courthouse.
“Everything that’s been presented to me it looks like a very strong self-defense case,” said Cummings.
While the robbery suspect wasn’t armed at the time of the shooting, Indiana law does allow people to defend themselves from a physical attack.
“You can use deadly force to defend yourself or your property if you have reason to believe you could be injured or killed,” said Cummings.
Before he was killed, Piercy also allegedly threatened to harm several other people around downtown.
The prosecutor said while the shooting had a tragic outcome, so far it does not appear to be a criminal homicide.
“I mean this is one where someone defended himself and it could have been worse had he not had a gun, but gun violence is really over the top in the community and this town,” said Cummings.
In a press release on Thursday, Anderson police confirmed it’s believed that an altercation between the two individuals led to the shooting. At present, no arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
Staff at north Topeka business shoot individual in response to alleged threats
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Police say staff at a local business shot a dangerous individual Wednesday in north Topeka.
Rosie Nichols with the City of Topeka told 27 News in a written statement officers with the Topeka Police Department (TPD) were called just after 11 p.m. on July 10 to a shooting in the 200 block of NW Independence Avenue. Law enforcement was told an individual entered a local business after it had closed for the day.
The individual allegedly pulled out a weapon and began threatening staff. This prompted staff to shoot the individual who then fled the area, eventually arriving at a local hospital.
Nichols said the individual is in stable condition and that officers have made contact with everyone involved in the incident. The investigation into this matter is ongoing.