Great-grandpa of slain kids shoots at inmates, is killed by cops, IN police says

Miami Herald

06-05-2025

National Great-grandpa of slain kids shoots at inmates, is killed by cops, IN police says
An Indiana man was shot and killed by deputies after he opened fire on a group of inmates and deputies walking into a courthouse, police say.
Screengrab by WXIN.
The great-grandfather of two kids who died in a crash during a police chase is dead after authorities said he shot at a group of inmates and deputies in Indiana, news outlets reported.
On May 5, Mark Vawter stood outside of the Hendricks County Courthouse in Danville armed with a gun, according to a news release from the Indiana State Police.
Just before 1 p.m., a Hendricks County Sheriff's Office van pulled up to the courthouse with a group of inmates who were being transported from the jail to court, state police said.
As the inmates and deputies began walking toward the courthouse, Vawter pulled a gun out of his clothing, pointed it at them and fired one shot, according to authorities.
Deputies returned fire, and Vawter was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
According to family members, Vawter's two great-grandchildren, 2-month-old Iris and 3-year-old Ares, were killed in a February crash involving a police chase in Avon, WXIN reported.
Iris and Ares Vawter were killed in a crash in February in Indiana.
Screengrab from Jack Vawter's Facebook post.
On Feb. 5, police attempted to pull over S'Doni Pettis, but he sped into an intersection, slamming into the vehicle Iris and Ares were in, causing it to flip down the road and burst into flames, according to the news outlet, citing witnesses and police.
Pettis was scheduled to be in court May 5, but his hearing was rescheduled for June 2, court records show.
But Vawter's family members believe he may not have known the hearing was rescheduled and may have been targeting Pettis, WXIN reported.
'We can't say for certain why he was there. Right now, we are working with the police to help figure it out. Nobody had heard anything from him that would have led us to raise any flags,' the kids' mother, Jack Vawter, told WTHR.
The Hendricks County Sheriff's Office told McClatchy News in an email that the Indiana State Police is handling the investigation.
The two deputies who fired their weapons during the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, according to police.
Pettis is charged with resisting law enforcement, causing death when operating a motor vehicle, causing catastrophic injury when operating a motor vehicle, conversion and auto theft, according to court records.
Danville is about a 20-mile drive west from Indianapolis.
Jennifer Rodriguez
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Jennifer Rodriguez is a McClatchy National Real-Time reporter covering the Central and Midwest regions. She joined McClatchy in 2023 after covering local news in Youngstown, Ohio, for over six years. Jennifer has made several achievements in her journalism career, including receiving the Robert R. Hare Award in English, the Emerging Leader Justice and Equality Award, the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award and the Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Award.