RUSHVILLE — A man suspected of killing a homeowner in rural Henry County was shot and killed by police early Tuesday at a gas station in Rushville, according to Indiana State Police.
Officers with the Rushville Police Department shot Benjamin Petry, 34, of North Vernon, just after midnight after he walked out of a Speedway gas station convenience store located in the 1800 block of North Main Street and allegedly pointed a gun at them, according to a news release from Indiana State Police Sgt. Coley McCutcheon.
McCutcheon said the Rushville Police officers found and followed the man’s car after they were alerted to a deadly shooting that happened around 11:30 p.m. Monday in the 2400 block of South Kennard Road in Kennard.
Investigators learned a homeowner, later identified as 65-year-old Ivan Wade Flowers, answered a knock on the door and was shot to death by Petry, who fled the scene. McCutcheon said the motive for the shooting is not yet known, but investigators learned Petry and Flowers "were acquaintances and the shooting is not considered to be a random act of violence."
The Rushville officers saw a vehicle matching one belonging to Petry driving south on State Road 3 in northern Rush County, McCutcheon said. They followed Petry until he made a stop at the Speedway gas station.
After Petry left the store, McCutcheon said two officers “began giving him loud verbal commands.”
“The suspect failed to follow orders and reached for a holster, drew a handgun and pointed it at the officers. Two officers fired their department-issued weapons, striking the suspect an undetermined number of times,” McCutcheon said.
Medics pronounced Petry dead at the scene. Neither police officer was injured, and both have been placed on administrative leave.
The names of the officers have not been publicly released.
