RICHMOND, IN — A Richmond man has been charged with shooting a member of his wife’s family during a July 26 disturbance.
Victor Manuel Cervantes-Martinez, 19, was charged on Tuesday, July 28, in Wayne Circuit Court with aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony carrying up to 16 years in prison, and criminal recklessness, a Level 6 felony with a maximum 30-month sentence.
According to an affidavit, Richmond police were called to a reported shooting in the 200 block of North 18th Street shortly after 9 p.m. on July 26.
Emergency responders found a 40-year-old man there suffering from a gunshot wound in the abdomen.
The shooting victim, reported to be “moaning, screaming in pain and thrashing around,” was taken by ambulance to Reid Hospital and was later flown by medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio.
Cervantes-Martinez, who was no longer at the scene, was identified as the person who had shot the victim, the court document said.
Witnesses, who said the shooting victim was intoxicated “and acting crazy,” reported the man had threatened to harm his own wife with a rake and apparently was charging at Cervantes-Martinez at the time he was shot. Police reported they were able to view a portion of the incident on video from a surveillance camera.
A witness said the men had struggled before the shot was fired, with Cervantes-Martinez reportedly knocking the other man down and kicking him in the face.
At least one witness indicated Cervantes-Martinez was married to the shooting victim’s daughter.
Cervantes-Martinez, later taken into custody at a home in the 600 block of South Q Street, declined to discuss the incident with police.
The Richmond man was reportedly released from the Wayne County Jail after posting a $2,500 bond.
However, court documents indicate he was later taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Kayla Welch, a Wayne County deputy prosecutor, on Wednesday filed a motion seeking a judge’s order that ICE agents return Cervantes-Martinez to Richmond for a hearing set for Aug. 7.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Richmond man charged with shooting wife’s family member
Reporting by Douglas Walker, Richmond Palladium-Item / Richmond Palladium-Item
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Douglas Walker, Richmond Palladium-Item | USA TODAY Network
