Man threw Molotov cocktail at FBI office before fatally shooting Terre Haute officer, docs say

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WISH) — The suspect of Wednesday’s fatal shooting of a Terre Haute Police Department detective lobbed a Molotov cocktail at the local FBI office, then raised a firearm in his right hand and shot Greg Ferency, say court documents charging the suspect with murder.

Shane Meehan, 44, was formally charged Thursday with the premeditated murder of a federal agent in the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis.

Ferency was a 30-year veteran of the police department and had been a federal task force officer since 2010.

On Thursday afternoon, Meehan repeatedly drove a tan 2003 Ford F-150 pickup in the vicinity of the FBI Indianapolis Resident Agency building in Terre Haute, court documents say. After Meehan threw the improvised incendiary weapon at the building and shot Ferency, Ferency returned fire. That happened about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday at the building at First Street and Wabash Court, authorities said Wednesday.

After the gunfire between Meehan and Ferency, FBI Special Agent Ryan Lindgren then ran from the building and engaged Meehan in a gunbattle, the court documents say. Meehan was shot twice by either Ferency or Lindgren, and drove to Terre Haute Regional Hospital. Meehan underwent surgery at the hospital for his gunshot wounds. He remained hospitalized Thursday.

After getting warrants, investigators went through Meehan’s truck parked at the hospital and found a Smith & Wesson M&P 45 semiautomatic handgun with one round in the chamber, court documents said. The also found three Molotov cocktails, two empty boxes of .45-caliber Hornaday Critical Duty Ammunition, and an additional handgun magazine.

Late Thursday morning in the parking lot outside the building where the shooting happened, federal crime scene investigators — some were flown into Terre Haute specifically for the investigation — were busy combing over every surface.

Neither the FBI nor the Terre Haute police department would say if Meehan was under investigation by Ferency. Investigators have not shared a possible motive.

WIBC’s Eric Berman reported on Twitter that Meehan is a former employee of the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute. Also, Meehan ran for mayor as an independent in 2019, finishing last in a four-way race with 1% of the vote.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. attorneys Kate Oliver and Barry Glickman are prosecuting the case.

News 8’s Richard Essex in Terre Haute contributed to this report.

• Terre Haute honors fallen detective Greg Ferency
• ‘You’ll not meet a finer person’: Authorities release new details after Terre Haute officer’s shooting death
• 30-year veteran of Terre Haute police ambushed, fatally shot; suspect in surgery

Statements

“An attack on law enforcement is an attack on us all. As citizens of this county, we enjoy on a daily basis the security and protection provided by the men and women of law enforcement. That security and protection is all the more precious because it is at times paid for with the lives of those who have chosen to protect us. The selfless dedication exhibited by Detective Ferency throughout his career and his tragic death yesterday is yet another example of why we all owe our respect and gratitude to the members of law enforcement. On behalf of the Department of Justice I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Detective Ferency’s family and his many colleagues.”

John E. Childress, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana

“I want to offer the deepest sympathy of the FBI to the family, friends and colleagues of Detective Ferency. Greg was a valued member of our FBI family and had worked side by side with us as a Task Force Officer since 2010 in our Terre Haute office. We will work day and night to carefully examine the circumstances of the shooting and we are dedicated to honoring Greg’s memory through a meticulous investigation.”

Paul Keenan, FBI Indianapolis special agent in charge