Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Man charged in Portage shooting caught on tape

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A Portage man has been charged in connection with the shooting on Mulberry Ave. on Dec. 18 which left another man seriously wounded.

Matthew Scott Richardson, 22, of 5416 Mulberry Ave., has been charged with aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony punishable by a term of three to 16 years; and pointing a firearm, a Level 6 felony punishable by a term of six to 30 months.

According to police, the incident began at 7:20 p.m. in the parking lot of the Menard’s on U.S. Highway 6, which Richardson and the reported shooting victim were exiting in their separate vehicles. “(S)ome type of confrontation occurred” between the two and both “parties engaged in antagonistic behavior” while westbound on U.S. 6, with the other man following Richardson, who “recorded some of the confrontation on his cell phone.”

While still en route to his residence, Richardson called his brothers “to tell them about being followed” and on arriving at his home on Mulberry Ave. they were there to meet him. A video camera installed at Richardson’s residence recorded what happened next, police said.

The man following Richardson arrived and pulled into the driveway but was “chased out” by Richardson; one of Richardson’s brothers threw a brick at the man’s car as he proceeded down the street to park off camera; the man, accompanied by his girlfriend and “carrying a baseball bat he presumably removed from his car,” “act(ed) menacingly to Richardson and his brothers,” one of whom, however, “was able to take the bat away” from the man,” police said.

Meanwhile, Richardson had gone into his house and retrieved a “Russian military rifle,” which he “initially pointed at the head” of the man’s girlfriend”Ñ“for several seconds”Ñ“while she was less than six feet away from him”; the man himself ran into the side yard, where he was followed by Richardson, who “ultimately fired a single shot at the unarmed (man),” police said.

The bullet entered the man’s thigh and exited without striking bone but leaving a large exit wound, police said.

The man managed to return to his car with his girlfriend and leave the scene but, after driving several hundred feet, he crashed the car.

From the man’s family members investigators learned that “he suffered severe injuries, including organ failure, as a result of the bullet severing his femoral artery,” police said.

Investigators obtained and executed a search warrant at Richardson’s residence, where they retrieved the rifle in question from a gun safe, police said.

 

 

Posted 12/23/2015

 
 
 
 

 

 

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