Suspects charged in judges’ shooting, judge also charged with felony battery

Read the original article source of this excerpt.

The Indiana Lawyer on 6/28/2019

A Clark County judge and the two men initially suspected of shooting two judges in May have been charged with felonies related to the shooting.

Charges against Clark Circuit Judge Andrew Adams and Indianapolis residents Brandon Kaiser and Alfredo Vazquez were filed Friday. Adams is charged with two counts of felony battery, four counts of misdemeanor battery and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.  Vazquez, 24, received the same charges, while Kaiser, 41, is also facing felony counts of aggravated battery and carrying a handgun without a license.

The charging decision came as a result of a grand jury indictment, Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said Friday. The other judge involved in the shooting, Clark Circuit Judge Bradley Jacobs, was not charged.

Curry declined to elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Adams’ charges, citing grand jury confidentiality.

The charges come nearly two months after Adams and Jacobs were shot early in the morning of May 1 outside a White Castle restaurant near downtown Indianapolis. The pair were in town to attend the Spring Judicial Conference.

Adams and Jacobs survived and returned to their Clark County homes to recover a little more than two weeks after the shooting. Other than a few text messages from Jacobs to some of his friends,  the judges have not spoken publicly.

Indianapolis residents Kaiser and Vazquez, were arrested a few days later for their alleged roles in the shooting. However, after appearing in court, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office declined to press charges and the two men were released.

Since then, Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry has remained tight lipped, saying only that the investigation into the incident was continuing. He held a press conference Friday to discuss the charges.

The grand jury indictments describe a brawl between the four men that left Adams with a scarred colon and put Jacobs at “a substantial risk of death.” Specific injuries to Jacobs include a scarred and/or lacerated liver and/or rib fractures and/or muscle fatigue and pain.

Adams was was hospitalized after the shooting in stable condition, but Jacobs was initially in critical condition before improving to serious, and eventually stable, condition.

The indictment claims the men hit, kicked and/or wrestled with each other.

Specific charges against Adams and Vazquez include:

  • Two counts of Level 6 felony battery resulting in moderate bodily injury
  • Two counts of Class A misdemeanor battery resulting in bodily injury
  • Two counts of Class B misdemeanor battery
  • One count of Class B misdemeanor disorderly conduct by engaging in fighting or tumultuous conduct

The charges against Kaiser, believed to be the main shooter, include:

  • Two counts of Level 3 felony aggravated battery when the assault poses a substantial risk of death
  • Two counts of Level 3 felony aggravated battery resulting in loss or impairment of a bodily function
  • Two counts of Level 5 felony battery by means of a deadly weapon
  • Two counts of Level 6 felony battery resulting in moderate bodily injury
  • Two counts of Class A misdemeanor battery resulting in bodily injury
  • One count of Class A misdemeanor carrying a handgun without a license
  • Two counts of Class B misdemeanor battery
  • Class B misdemeanor disorderly conduct by engaging in fighting or tumultuous conduct