Richard Eugene Pettry Jr. was a 42-year-old contractor from Indianapolis described by family as a devoted father and grandfather and a close, protective presence in a large family. On the morning of Saturday, January 12, 2019, he was shot in the 1500 block of East Minnesota Street on the city’s near-southeast side just before 9:30 a.m. Emergency responders took him to a hospital, where he died from his injuries and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department opened a homicide investigation.

Investigators reported the fatal encounter may have stemmed from a dispute that began a month earlier when Pettry had gone to assist a family member and was allegedly confronted by a man with a gun. Police identified 26-year-old Derrick Warner as the suspect; several witnesses reportedly named him as the shooter. Warner was located and taken into custody after a January 24 traffic stop turned into a brief chase and manhunt that involved K-9 and SWAT officers and prompted precautionary lockdowns at two nearby schools. Anyone with information about Richard Pettry or the shooting is asked to come forward.