EVANSVILLE — A dispute over an apartment key fob ended with an Evansville man shooting his nephew late Friday night and calling 911 to report what he had done, police say.
Jeffrey A. Bonham, 61, was arrested after Evansville Police Department officers responding to the Garfield Commons Apartments, located at 422 Garfield St., found Bonham’s nephew, Blake Devine, suffering from a gunshot wound to his left forearm. Devine was transported to Deaconess Midtown for treatment.
Bonham was booked into the Vanderburgh County jail early Saturday morning on a preliminary charge of battery committed with a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony. He is being held without bond pending his first court appearance.
According to Bonham’s arrest affidavit, the shooting stemmed from an argument over a key fob to apartment 115, where both Bonham and Devine had been spending time. The apartment reportedly belongs to Jeffrey Bonham’s father and Devine’s grandfather, who was asleep at the time and did not witness the incident.
While at the hospital, Devine told detectives that Bonham refused to give him the key fob and that he warned Bonham not to make him take it, the affidavit states. Devine said Bonham then drew a handgun, prompting Devine to back away before Bonham shot him in the arm.
Bonham reportedly confirmed the dispute over the key fob but offered a different account of the shooting. Detectives contend that Bonham’s story changed several times.
During a police interview, Bonham recalled that Devine became angry, threatened to take the fob and then charged at him aggressively. Bonham said he believed Devine was holding something — possibly a miniature baseball bat — and that he shot him in the arm. Bonham initially said he did not know a round was chambered in the handgun and said he did not mean to shoot Devine.
But Bonham also told investigators he had deliberately racked the handgun’s slide to chamber a round before firing, according to the affidavit, and told patrol officers that he intentionally shot Devine in the arm because he was holding the bat in his hand.
During a search of the apartment, officers found the miniature baseball bat on a dresser in a bedroom. The bat had no blood on it, however, and was not found near any part of the blood trail Devine left inside the apartment. A handgun and two loaded magazines were found in plain view on the center console of Bonham’s black Dodge Ram pickup truck. Bonham confirmed to officers it was the gun used in the shooting.
Magistrate Sheila M. Corcoran found probable cause and ordered Bonham held without bond pending his initial hearing, which is scheduled for Wednesday at 1 p.m.
Houston Harwood may be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Police say Evansville man shot nephew during key fob dispute
Reporting by Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press | USA TODAY Network
