INDIANAPOLIS — A 64-year-old woman was critically injured Monday when she was struck by a stray bullet while working inside a Sullivan's Hardware Store on the city's north side.
Family members have identified the victim as Susan Warden.
She has been working at Sullivan's for about 2-years.
Warden was sitting at the cash register when a stray bullet came through the wall - and a photo frame - and struck her in the face, according to the owner of Sullivan's.
The bullet is believed to have come from the gun of a man involved in a 3-car crash at the intersection of 71st Street and Keystone Avenue.
"It's terrifying. The whole day was terrifying, literally the worst day of my life in a place that I love," Pat Sullivan, the owner of Sullivan Hardware said.
Surveillance video from the Shell Gas Station at the intersection where the shooting and crash occurred shows the crash, the vehicles involved and then a man chasing a vehicle out of the parking lot while firing a weapon.
You can watch the video below. Turn your sound on to hear WRTV's Kaitlyn Kendall explain what is being shown.
After viewing the surveillance, police identified the third vehicle as not being involved in the initial crash.
Sullivan's Hardware & Garden Center was in a direct line of the shots that were fired from the scene at the gas station, according to police.
Video footage from inside the hardware store showed Warden being struck by the bullet and then immediately being tended to by another person inside, according to court documents.
Investigators say the video shows Warden inside the Yellow Building on the south end of the hardware's property where the bullet entered the north wall.
According to court documents, when viewing outside through the bullet hole, you can see the Shell gas station.
Court documents say Warden was struck in the left eye and left temple and suffered fractures in her face and severe eye injuries. She was transported to the hospital in critical condition.
Family members of Warden tell WRTV she's a "fighter" and in good spirits. They say she has a long road to recovery but she has responded to family members over the phone and they call her a "force to be reckoned with."
"It is entirely bizarre I called her at 3:12 yesterday and we talked for a couple minutes literally moments before it happened," Elle, Warden's daughter told WRTV's Kaitlyn Kendall. "Her spirit is something that will shine through any amount of darkness. This was a freak accident and shouldn’t have happened."
The driver of the vehicle that was being shot at, Aneysha Brown, tells WRTV she had her 6-year-old daughter in the vehicle with her when the incident took place.
"I was so scared. I'm trying to tell my daughter to duck down," Brown said. "I was so confused and I was so scared I literally did like 160 [mph] down Keystone to try to get away from him while he is chasing after my car, shooting at my car."
She returned to the gas station a short time after the shooting and showed police the bullet holes in her vehicle.
Brown says she and her daughter were both uninjured in the shooting.
"Like he shouldn't have been shooting in general, but like for you to be shooting at me," Brown said.
The man accused of firing the shots has been identified as Marqueses Tipton. The Marion County Prosecutor has formally charged Tipton with two counts of Criminal Recklessness and Aggravated Battery. He is currently being held on a $150,000 bond.
"It's like people can't connect the dots, of if I fire this gun where is that bullet going. You are just firing on a street it's like where do you think that's going [to go]," Sullivan said.
Sullivan's Hardware & Garden posted the following statement to their social media page on Tuesday.
"We want to thank our community for all of your support. Our coworker who was critically injured yesterday is now stable, however, she has a long road of recovery ahead of her. Prayers are always welcome!"
