Posted on 07/26/2006 4:17:08 AM PDT by Samwise
Wednesday morning, a 17-year-old accused of the interstate shootings is in jail. Zachariah Blanton is accused of killing one man and wounding another in the Sunday morning shootings.
It's been a quick turn of events. Early Sunday morning, four separate shootings took place on I-65 and I-69 in Indiana. Tuesday evening, State Police announced they had arrested a suspect, and now that suspect is scheduled to appear in court in Jackson County at 11:00 a.m.
Blanton has been charged with murder, attempted murder, and criminal recklessness.
Police believe he was the only shooter, but they have not given a motive for the shootings. They say he has been in trouble for sex and theft crimes in the past.
Governor Mitch Daniels commended law enforcement for this quick arrest.
"Indiana has now been spared through the combined efforts of these outstanding professionals the sort of fear, uncertainty and disruption that has befallen other jurisdictions elsewhere," said Daniels.
Bullet fragments from the shooting scene indicate a Remington 710 rifle was the murder weapon, and that's what officers found when they searched Blanton's home.
Blanton is from the small town of Gaston, Indiana just northwest of Muncie. 24-Hour News 8 visited Blanton's home Tuesday and spoke with those who knew him.
While family members say Blanton is not capable of committing these crimes, his schoolmates describe him as a troubled teen.
"He's always been pretty crazy," said schoolmate Joe Snyder. "He's a nut. He always has been. He's got in trouble a lot, a troublemaker. He's gotten into all kinds of trouble for being mean to people."
"Not exactly a wonderful person but not a terrible person either," added schoolmate Tara Jones. "He made mistakes, just like everyone else, but I didn't think he would do something like this."
Blanton's neighbors expressed concern for the teen's family, saying they are nice people who they've always gotten along with.
"We've talked with them, very nice," said neighbor Linda Antrim. "You can't ask for better neighbors, really."
Meanwhile, neighbors in Seymour are breathing a sign of relief after hearing police made an arrest.
Donna Duttlinger lives just yards from the overpass where police say Blanton shot and killed one man and injured another. Duttlinger says ever since the shootings, she didn't feel safe in her own house.
"Just knowing that I was sleeping with my child and got a weirdo on the bridge, that's scary," she said.
Since the weekend shootings, some motorists driving up and down Indiana's interstates have felt a sense of fear. Travelers worried about their safety. Those feelings have disappeared with the announcement of Blanton's arrest.
24-Hour News 8 will have complete coverage of Blanton's court appearance today on News 8 at Noon and right here on WISHTV.com.
Details are sketchy from police this morning, but they will be holding a press conference I think at 5:30 this afternoon. What is curious, however, is this kid is from California and came to live with his grandparents in Gasport, IN. Evidently, he went to visit some relatives Saturday evening, something happened, and the relatives told him to leave; hence the early Sunday morning shootings. Curious as to why (1) this kid left California; (2) why this kid isn't living with his parents and (3) where are his parents and are they alive?
Oh my! Thanks for the heads up.
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