Bartholomew Co. shooting suspect in custody after Franklin police chase
FRANKLIN, Ind. (WISH) — A suspect wanted for shooting a man and child near Columbus was taken into custody Friday afternoon after he shot himself at the end of a police chase in Franklin, authorities say.
Police started a search for 35-year-old Robbie L. Perez following a Thursday night shooting that injured a 36-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy on Elm Street in Hope.
Perez was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, where his condition was unknown, the Franklin Police Department said in a media release issued at 4 p.m. Friday.
Investigators believed Perez, of Columbus, drove away from the scene in a silver Chevrolet HHR.
Just before 11 a.m. Friday, police spotted Perez’s Chevy going west on King Street toward Franklin from I-65, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
Franklin Police Department says its officers caught up with Perez.
Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office’s release says Perez then led officers on a brief chase.
Franklin police say they used a tire-deflation device to stop Perez at the intersection of North Hurricane Road and Whiteland Road
When the pursuit ended, officers approached the silver Chevy and found Perez “suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the sheriff’s office said.
Perez was arrested on two preliminary counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to the sheriff’s office.
A gun was found in the vehicle, but police didn’t say if it was the same weapon used in the Hope shooting.
Investigators believe the Thursday night shooting was the result of an ongoing feud between Robbie Perez and George Perez Jr., the 36-year-old victim. The two men are brothers, according to police.
George Perez Jr. has been released from the hospital. His son, the 3-year-old boy, remains in critical condition.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Det. Jason Lancaster at 812-565-5928.
This story was updated to correct information from the sheriff’s office on the age of the child.
Mental health resources
- Be Well Indiana
- Indiana Suicide Prevention
- Indiana Department of Child Services’ Children’s Mental Health Initiative
- National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 or 800-273-8255
- More resources