RICHMOND, IN — A suspect allegedly involved in drive-by shooting Wednesday afternoon was arrested by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department less than 24 hours later.
Sheriff Randy Retter said in a press release that deputies responded to a call from a witness on Toschlog Road alleging that they saw a long gun with a bayonet protruding from the back driver’s-side window of a white, four-door SUV with a temporary registration tag.
Moments after the witness saw the vehicle, two shots were fired from the vehicle into the front of an occupied residence, where a person inside was sleeping on a couch below the front window, the release said.
Deputies found damage on the house that they said is consistent with shotgun fire, including pellet strikes to the siding, gutter and front window.
While deputies were performing a neighborhood canvass, they found surveillance footage that allegedly showed the suspect vehicle fleeing the area. The vehicle was located near 224 1/2 SW 3rd St., and deputies found and interviewed the driver, who initially provided false information about the identity of the shooter, the release said.
The driver eventually told police that the shooter was 21-year-old Gabriel “Ben” Howe of Richmond, who allegedly threatened to kill him and his dog if he told police who he was, according to the release.
On Thursday, deputies returned to 224 1/2 SW 3rd St., where Howe was believed to have returned and was inside. Howe initially refused to come out, the release said. But after a search-and-arrest warrant was obtained and with the assistance of Richmond SWAT, Howe was safely taken into custody.
The release adds that the firearm believed to be used in the shooting was recovered in the residence.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department said in its release that the case is still an ongoing investigation and additional arrests are expected.
Evan Weaver is a news and sports reporter at The Palladium-Item. Contact him on X (@evan_weaver7) or email at eweaver@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Wayne County Sheriff’s Department arrests suspect related to drive-by shooting
Reporting by Evan Weaver, Richmond Palladium-Item / Richmond Palladium-Item
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