MUNCIE, Ind. – A Delaware County man indicted on July 30 for a shooting in which 18 people were shot by gunshots has received a lawsuit on January 29.
John L. Vance Jr., 36, is arraigned in Delaware Circuit Court 2 on two counts of grievous bodily injury, along with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and criminal recklessness.
The charges against Vance stem from the shootings of 18 people at an early morning neighborhood party on Willard and Hackley Street.
They are not specifically referring to the fatal shooting of Joseph Bonner, a 30-year-old Muncie man who died at the scene.
However, witnesses told Muncie police that they saw Bonner and Vance – reportedly brandishing a gun – exchanging blows shortly before the gunfire broke out.
More: Affidavit: Muncie victims saw armed suspect fight with murder victim
The city’s police department has indicated that the investigation into the shootings is continuing and may lead to additional charges being filed.
In addition to those hit by bullets, a woman was seriously injured at the scene when she was hit by a vehicle. A press release issued last week by Mayor Dan Ridenour’s office said three victims remained hospitalized and in stable condition.
Vance — listed in court documents at addresses in both Muncie and Yorktown — was still being held at the Delaware County Jail on Monday on $105,000 bond.
Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman filed last week a felony firearms enhancement that could extend to 20 years to whatever sentence Vance could receive if convicted of charges stemming from the shootings.
The two high battery charges are level 3 felonies with a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison, while the count of criminal recklessness is a level 5 felony with a maximum sentence of six years.
The unlawful possession of a number of firearms, a Level 4 misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 years in prison, alleges that Vance’s criminal record prohibited him from owning guns.
According to court documents, Vance has previously been convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, along with cocaine or narcotics trafficking, resisting law enforcement, battery, domestic battery, and false information.
At an initial hearing last week, Vance told Judge Kimberly Dowling that he planned to hire his own attorney.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: January trial date set for Delaware County man charged with shooting
