Tax-preparation shop owner faces firearm charge after deadly dispute
LAWRENCE, Ind. (WISH) — The owner of a tax-preparation business faces charges after a dispute over a tax return turned deadly.
Antonio Burse, 34, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, court records show.
The shooting happened before 11:30 a.m. March 6 outside a strip mall in the 4200 block of North Franklin Road. It was the first homicide of the year in Lawrence.
Lawrence police said Antonio Bertram, 25, stormed into Colbert/Bell Tax Service in the strip mall while he was holding a pair of guns and wearing a mask. Police said Bertram was there to confront employees over a tax return.
That’s when Burse pulled out his wife’s gun and fired.
Bertram later died from a single gunshot wounds.
Burse is not facing homicide charges, but, during the investigation, authorities learned Burse had been convicted of serious felony charges from March 2007.
Burse will have a pretrial conference June 19 in a Marion County court.
