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Weeks before Patricia Wieber was gunned down on the east side of Indianapolis, police documented an ongoing and persistently volatile relationship between her and the man now accused of killing her.
Wieber, 65, was shot just after 8 p.m. May 28 in the first block of North Rural Street, sparking a series of events that would end with Ronald Cross shot by Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers.
Now, the 75-year-old Cross is accused of murder and nine other charges tied to the shooting including battery and unlawful carrying of a handgun.
He’s also facing a slew of charges in connection with what family members and friends described as armed, violent attacks on them and Wieber at a gathering.
“Patricia was the last person on earth who deserved to endure any form of violence,” Kayla Reeves, one of Wieber’s three biological daughters, said.
Wieber’s death leads to police chase, shooting
On May 28, police were dispatched to a shooting in the first block of North Rural Street, where they found Wieber in critical condition with gunshot wounds. Police identified Cross as a suspect.
Officers tracked Cross to the 7500 block of Bullock Court on the city’s south side, said Kendale Adams, IMPD deputy chief of criminal investigations. Cross got into a different vehicle with another man not suspected of homicide. Officers attempted a traffic stop near West Southport and Bluff roads while tracking the vehicle, and the driver got out without incident and was taken into custody.
Cross then moved into the vehicle’s driver seat and fled, Adams said. In the 1000 block of South Harding Street near I-70, a SWAT vehicle performed a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle. The maneuver involves striking the rear side of a fleeing vehicle to force it to spin and stall.
After the vehicle stopped, officers shot Cross, who was taken to the hospital in stable condition. No officers were injured, and two firearms were located at the scene, Adams said.
The officers involved in shooting Cross have been placed on administrative leave, per department policy, and the Civilian Use of Force Review Board will have a hearing on the shooting. Body and dash cameras were activated.
Cross had a violent history directed at Wieber, court records say
The shooting caps a history of violence directed at Wieber, family said during interviews that detectives documented in a probable cause affidavit for his arrest. Just weeks before her death, Wieber told police Cross had been trying to get her into a relationship she did not want, according to the affidavit.
On May 2, police responded to a domestic disturbance involving Cross at a Marion County residence.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Cross entered the home of his and Wieber’s daughter — who was throwing a birthday party and cookout for Wieber — and attacked his ex-partner, knocking her out of a chair and hitting her repeatedly.
Cross then attacked his and Wieber’s daughter, grabbing her by the neck, striking her, hitting her in the head with a revolver, throwing her into furniture and causing her to lose consciousness, the affidavit says. He used the same firearm to point at others who tried to intervene.
He fled the residence with the weapon in hand, according to the affidavit. At the time of the disturbance, he had two prior convictions for felon in possession of a firearm from June 1994.
Court records show an arrest warrant was issued on for Cross on May 7 in connection with the May 2 incident. But it does not appear he was apprehended prior to the May 28 police chase and shooting.
He has an initial hearing set for June 1 at 9:30 a.m.
“Pat was the steadfast pillar in the lives of her family, friends and community,” Reeves said. “Always available, always attentive, always giving.”
Mia Thurow is the breaking news and criminal justice reporting intern for the Indianapolis Star. She can be reached at mthurow@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Man shot by IMPD had violent history with ex-partner, court docs say
Reporting by Mia Thurow, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
