Man charged in fatal Hammond bar massacre

Yahoo

01-04-2025

Caprice Cashaw randomly pulled in front of a Hammond bar just after he lost at least $7,000 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond.
He was 'mad' and took it out on his girlfriend — beating her while driving back from the casino.
He pulled in front of the Portside Pub, 1516 Indianapolis Blvd., to keep assaulting her.
Four people in the bar stepped outside to help her.
When she tried to run, he opened fire, killing two people — a new bartender and longtime female patron — and wounded three others, including his girlfriend.
Cashaw, 31, was charged Tuesday with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Each charge includes a firearms enhancement in commission of the crime. He is in custody, being held without bond.
In a Facebook post, Portside Pub said they were 'devastated and heartbroken.'
Hammond Police were called March 30 to the scene.
They found bartender Paul Olivares, 25, of Whiting, unresponsive, shot in the head. Nearby, patron Lorraine Reyna, 59, of Whiting was lying partially outside, motionless in the doorway, and she was shot multiple times.
Their deaths were ruled homicides. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
'Paul and Lorrie both had hearts of gold and truly loved people,' according to the bar's Facebook post. 'They were great people who were so kind to everyone and with their big hearts they would never hesitate to help someone.'
'Lorrie was known for a long time for her generosity and the way she always made you feel like a friend. Both will never be forgotten,' it said. 'They taught us a lot about how to conduct ourselves in this world.'
Inside the bar, Cashaw's girlfriend was lying face down, still breathing. She had been shot 10 times, court records show.
Another man was on his hands and knees, shot multiple times. Another woman was shot in the leg, hiding in a walk-in cooler.
The bar's footage, without audio, showed a dark Chrysler 300 pull up and park just north of the bar's entrance around 3:44 a.m. A man — whom Cashaw said was him — got out and beat the girlfriend.
She tried to run, but he forced her back inside the vehicle.
Just then, Reyna appeared to hear what was happening outside. She went to look, then went back in the bar, 'distressed,' according to the affidavit.
All four — her, Olivares, the other man and woman later wounded — went outside where Cashaw's girlfriend was screaming for help.
'What's going on, Olivares said, according to other security footage.
'Get inside the bar,' Olivares said.
The other man and woman went inside and closed the door.
Open the door, Olivares is heard saying over and over.
Cashaw appears to open fire, shooting Olivares. He shoots Reyna in the back, records show. The affidavit stated he fired around 20 rounds outside.
The girlfriend ran and collapsed halfway inside. Cashaw fired into the bar with a semi-automatic gun.
In the footage inside the bar, the other wounded man is seen clutching his stomach. The other woman is holding her leg. Sparks appear to hit bar stools from the bullets.
Cashaw walks past the girlfriend — he later told police he thought she was dead — and goes out of camera view, then removes an empty 30-round magazine from his gun.
In total, he fires four shots in the bar, there's a 20-second break, before another gunshot is heard. He looks at his girlfriend again, then leaves.
Cashaw later said he had the girlfriend's cell phone on him.
Police found 21 9-mm bullet casings outside and seven inside.
A witness told police that Cashaw said he lost $10,000 at the Horseshoe that night.
Police learned he was staying with a Pepe's employee in Hobart and arrested him there.
Cashaw said he and his girlfriend had a two-year 'tumultuous' relationship.
He was 'mad' he lost $7,000 that night and took it out on her, he said. After 'several minutes' of beating her, he was 'calm' just before Reyna came outside.
When the girlfriend ran, he started shooting, 'knowing he was hitting others.'
He admitted shooting Olivares in the head, who was already on the ground before he left.
The girlfriend and man who survived were both in serious, but stable condition. The man was shot twice in the neck and stomach, according to court records.
Records show Cashaw has a pending January 2022 case for cheating at gaming, resisting law enforcement and misdemeanor criminal recklessness. In court documents, a gaming officer accused him of nearly running him over as he left. Cashaw had swiped $900 back from the baccarat table at Ameristar in East Chicago, according to court records.
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