60 year old veteran shot multiple times by paintball gun because shooter wanted to

Indy man charged with assaulting 60-year-old veteran with paintball gun

CBS 4 News Indy
BY JESSE WELLS
April 30, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — An Indianapolis man is behind bars accused of assaulting a 60-year-old with a paintball gun.

The charges come at a time when community leaders say a paintball war has broken out with homes, cars and people caught in the crossfire. In recent weeks, police have taken several reports of people having their property shot with paintball guns.

In one case a 60-year-old military veteran walking at 35th and Graceland told police he came under fire from a man armed with a paintball gun.

According to court records, the accused shooter Avery Bullock walked up to the victim and asked, “Yo old school, you ever been shot with a paint gun?”
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VA Police Officer Plead Guilty After Abusing Veteran

Former officer to surrender license, plead guilty in assault at Indianapolis VA hospital
The Indy Channel
Jordan Fischer
Jun 29, 2018

In a plea agreement filed in federal court Wednesday, Kaim acknowledges that the victim was already walking out the door of the hospital after being told to leave when Kaim shoved him out of the door and pushed him against an exterior wall of the building. Kaim then caused the victim to fall face-first on the sidewalk, before striking him in the head six-to-seven times.

INDIANAPOLIS -- A former officer with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center Police Department has agreed to surrender his law enforcement license as part of a plea agreement over an assault at the Indianapolis VA hospital in April 2017.

Officer Michael Kaim was indicted in January on a civil rights violation and obstruction of justice for allegedly writing a false report about an arrest at the Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Memorial Center.
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Lebanon city councilman at-large, was found dead Thursday

Lebanon city councilman dies in apparent suicide, authorities say
Indy Star
Holly V Hays
March 1, 2018

Jeremy Lamar, Lebanon city councilman at-large, was found dead Thursday morning, Boone County officials confirm.

(Photo: Provided by the City of Lebanon)

Lamar's death is being investigated as a suicide, Boone County Sheriff's Deputy Ken Conley told IndyStar Thursday afternoon.

Authorities were called to a cemetery northeast of Lebanon around 11 a.m., where Lamar's body was found, Conley said. Investigators do not suspect foul play. A final ruling on cause and manner of death will be determined by the Boone County coroner's office.

The city confirmed Lamar's death, but did not elaborate on details, in a news release Thursday afternoon.
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Homeless Veterans Treated Like Honored Guests At Canceled Wedding

Canceled $30K wedding becomes dinner for Indiana homeless, veterans
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 16, 2017

Cummins said she decided that rather than throw away the food she would bring some purpose to the event and contacted area homeless shelters. She cheerfully greeted and welcomed her guests when they arrived Saturday.

Several local businesses and residents donated suits, dresses and other items for the guests to wear.

Sarah Cummins talks with men from Wheeler Mission, at the Ritz Charles, Saturday, July 15, 2017. Cummins called off her wedding which was supposed to be this day. She decided to bring purpose to her pain by inviting area homeless to enjoy the reception.

KELLY WILKINSON/THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR VIA AP

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana woman didn't want her canceled $30,000 wedding to go to waste, so she threw a dinner party for the homeless.

A bus pulled up to the swanky event center on Saturday that Sarah Cummins had booked for the reception in Carmel, a suburb north of Indianapolis. About a dozen veterans from a local organization were among the guests who dined on bourbon-glazed meatballs, roasted garlic bruschetta and wedding cake.
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Veteran's Funeral Attended by Over 1,000 New Family Members

More than 1,000 Attend Funeral for Veteran with No Known Family
Military.com
November 19, 2015

More than 1,000 people gathered in a church outside Indianapolis Tuesday to honor the life of a veteran with no known living family members, the Greenfield Daily Reporter reported.

Former Marine Cpl. Billy Aldridge, 80, had been living for over 10 years at an Indianapolis nursing home before he died last month. Aldridge enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1956, served as a supply man for almost four years, and spent two of those years in Okinawa, Japan.

When Aldridge passed away, the nursing home turned his body over to Legacy Cremation and Funeral Service, whose staff decided to plan a proper -- and public -- sendoff for a brave veteran.

Aldridge was memorialized with a standing-room only service at the Lawrence United Methodist Church in Lawrence, Ind. Hundreds lined the walls of the facility and its vestibule after all the seats were filled.

Paul Adams, a member of the Greenfield Veterans Honor Guard, a group of former servicemen who attend over 50 veteran funerals annually, told the paper that despite the fact they do not personally know each veteran they memorialize, each funeral is very emotional for all of them.
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Real Marine Confronts Imposter on Video

UPDATE
Fake Marine’s lawyer says client wasn’t trying to steal valor

Confrontation between Marine and ‘imposter’ goes viral 
WDTN News
Jeff Wagner
Published: June 12, 2015

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind (WISH) — A confrontation between a local veteran and a man he says was posing as a Marine has gone viral.

The incident happened outside the graduation ceremony for Noblesville High School Tuesday. Since then, the video of the confrontation has gotten more than 100,000 views online.

Marine Brandyn Skaggs, who was attending the ceremony for his younger brother, said his plan was to expose the man in uniform as a fraud in front of the man’s family, then leave it alone.

But Skaggs’ father recorded it all. And little did he realize that his fight to keep someone from stealing valor was a battle going on across the country every day.

In the video, you can hear Skaggs ask the man where he was stationed. The man answers Camp Pendleton. Skaggs follows that up by asking what unit the man served with. The man then replied, “none of your business.”

“I started to call him out and, obviously, at that point, he is a fake,” said Skaggs.

From the uniform to the medals, Skaggs, who spent four years in the U.S. Marines, said he had all the evidence he needed.
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VA Suicide Mockingwitch Resigned!

Aside from the best part of this article is the resignation of the Mockingwitch (apologies to Hunger Games Mockingjay) this part pretty much sums up what went on.

"The 'elf' email I sent in December 2014 was to an internal staff email group following a clinic holiday lunch party," she said. "I take full responsibility for sending the email; however, the intent of the email and pictures has been misrepresented. My intent was not to mock Veterans; the intent was to thank the team for their work in dealing with tough issues on a daily basis. The elf did not represent a Veteran; it was a toy elf — nothing more."

In other words, she's sorry she got caught.

VA supervisor resigns after email controversy
Indy Star
Tony Cook
April 10, 2015

Paul said the email was taken out of context and was never intended to mock veterans.

The supervisor at Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center who sent an email that appears to mock veteran suicides has resigned.

Robin Paul, who managed the Indianapolis hospital's transitional clinic for returning veterans, submitted her resignation on Tuesday.

"Even though I have had an excellent work history with the VA, my career with the VA is effectively over as a result of this incident and the resulting public and political pressure," she said in a statement provided to The Indianapolis Star through her attorney, Barclay Wong.

Paul said she and her family have been subjected to "harassment and hostility" as a result of the email's publication.

"I received death threats, my minor child was harassed, and we had to seek police protection," she said.
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Death threats are not cool and shouldn't have happened. Nothing righteous in them at all. For her part, she should have resigned and cooled tempers right away. After all, VA Suicides Bigger Than 1 Employee with Elf! In the end, she is not ashamed of any of this but blames everyone else for learning about what she did.

Former U.S. Army Ranger Peter Kassig held by ISIS

Peter Kassig's parents make video plea to ISIS
CNN
By Arwa Damon and Michael Martinez
October 4, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Ed and Paula Kassig urge ISIS to release their son
Peter Kassig changed his first name to Abdul-Rahman when converting to Islam
"We implore his captors to show mercy," his father says on videotaped message
"Most of all, know that we love you," his mother says to son

(CNN) -- The family of ISIS hostage and U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig released a YouTube video Saturday asking his captors to show mercy and free him.

Referring to him as Abdul-Rahman -- a first name his family says he took, having converted to Islam while being held hostage -- father Ed Kassig said: "We implore his captors to show mercy and use their power to let our son go."

Peter Kassig, 26, first went to the Middle East as a U.S. soldier and returned as a medical worker, feeling compelled to help victims of war.

His mother, Paula, addressed her son in the video: "We are so very proud of you and the work you have done to bring humanitarian aid to the Syrian people," she said.
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'LET OUR SON GO'

How former U.S. Army Ranger threatened with beheading fought in Iraq and then returned to Middle East to run Syrian aid group
Daily Mail
By EMMA GLANFIELD and WILLS ROBINSON FOR MAILONLINE
3 October 2014

Former U.S. Army Ranger and Iraq war veteran Peter Kassig, 26, is believed to be the latest U.S hostage to be held by Islamic State militants in Syria after he featured at the end of Alan Henning's execution video

Peter Kassig appears in latest ISIS video showing British aid worker's death
In footage, 26-year-old is shown on his knees as he is held by 'Jihadi John'
Video released tonight claims to show beheading of hostage Alan Henning
'Jihadi John' tells camera that President Obama's aerial bombardment in Syria means that 'it is only right to continue to strike necks of your people'
Mr Kassig enlisted in the Army in 2006 and served in the Iraq war in 2007
He then went to provide aid to Syrian war refugees and his family said that while in captivity he converted to Islam and took the name Abdul Rahman

The 26-year-old, from Indianapolis, (pictured) enlisted in the Army in 2004 and was deployed to Iraq in 2007

An Iraq war veteran who launched his own aid group to provide medical help for Syrian war refugees has been named as the next potential victim of ISIS.

Former U.S. Army Ranger Peter Kassig, 26, has been confirmed as the latest American hostage to be held by Islamic State militants after he featured at the end of a video showing the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning.

In the footage, which emerged on the internet tonight, Mr Kassig, from Indianapolis, is shown on his knees next to 'Jihadi John'.

The young aid worker is being held by the Jihadi who tells the camera that President Obama's aerial bombardment in Syria means that 'it is only right to continue to strike the necks of your people.'
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Vietnam vet to go hunting with all-terrain wheelchair

Legion post helps legless Vietnam vet to go hunting with all-terrain wheelchair
Indystar
Bill McCleery, Indianapolis
March 5, 2014

Vietnam veteran Jesus Quintana loves to hunt, but crossing fields and forests is not easy for the Eastside Indianapolis double amputee.

Each year, he typically is driven a few times to his favorite spots, such as areas around Camp Atterbury in Johnson County, then helped to a hunting blind.

The wheelchair the 65-year-old retired Marine uses does not maneuver well over ruts, rocks, mud or thick vegetation.

Next month, however, Quintana plans to hunt turkey for the first time, and he will have a new means of getting around: a $12,000 all-terrain wheelchair donated this week by American Legion Post 182 in New Palestine.

The chair has a higher clearance than a typical wheelchair and uses tanklike treads rather than wheels.

"I am very grateful," Quintana said Wednesday. "Beyond helping me hunt, it's going to be a big help with a lot of everyday things. Just on my own property, I've wanted to go out there and repair a fence some dogs tore up. But I haven't really been able to get to it. I think I can get out there with this thing."

He and his wife, Betty, live near 21st Street and Emerson Avenue.

"I'm looking forward to taking it around my neighborhood on warm summer nights and smoking a little cigar," he said. "I don't like to smoke in the house."

Quintana lost his legs in an explosion during an Aug. 29, 1968, combat mission. Quintana and his unit had marched into a rice paddy near the Ho Chi Minh trail when an artillery shell exploded.
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From Fort Hood to NFL Josh McNary ready for New England Patriots

McNary brings Army experience to NFL
Fort Hood Herald
Albert Alvarado
Herald staff writer
January 8, 2014

Courtesy of the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts linebacker Josh McNary prepares for a play against the Houston Texans earlier this season. The Colts face the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Playoffs on Saturday.

Being across the line and having to defend offenses run by NFL quarterbacks like Tom Brady may scare some rookies, but not Josh McNary.

The Indianapolis Colts linebacker trained for far greater challenges off the field as a solider at Fort Hood.

“In the back of my mind I’m pretty familiar with the dangers that life can throw at you,” McNary said.

On Saturday, the former Army Black Knight recorded seven tackles to help the Colts beat the Kansas City Chiefs 45-44 in the AFC Wild Card Playoffs.

Indianapolis advances to the AFC Division Playoffs against the New England Patriots on Saturday at Gillette Stadium. The game kicks off at 7:15 p.m. and will be televised on CBS.
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Iraq veteran lured to death in Indiana with Craigslist ad for iPad

Iraq veteran lured to death in Indiana with Craigslist ad for iPad
reports Sgt. 1st Class James Vester reportedly planned to buy the tablet as a Christmas gift for his parents, but was gunned down on Indianapolis' tough west side. Two teenage brothers face charges of murder and robbery in the heartless killing.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
BY DOYLE MURPHY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2013

An Iraq war veteran was gunned down in Indianapolis — reportedly over an iPad.

Sgt. 1st Class James Vester responded to a Craigslist ad on Wednesday and headed for the city’s west side, where he was robbed and murdered by two teenage brothers, according to police and media reports.

“He knew it wasn’t the best neighborhood, that’s why he went in the middle of the afternoon,” family friend Sarah Hill told the Indianapolis Star. “He was being careful.”

The married father of a 1-year-old boy wanted to buy the iPad as a Christmas gift for his parents, WISHTV reported.
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Navy veteran has to prove to the VA she is still not dead,,,again

Veteran falsley declared dead
WISHTV.com
By Lori Wilson
August 27, 2013

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - An Indianapolis veteran is speaking out after she was falsely declared dead -- not once -- but twice.

Petty Officer Cynthia Keough-Scruggs called 24-Hour News 8 to share her story after we recently ran the story of another vet who had been falsely declared dead in Fort Wayne.

“I felt like it was a joke, like are you serious,” said Scruggs.

To the military, in 2009, Petty Officer Cynthia Keough-Scruggs was dead. She finished boot camp in 1986. She went on to serve eight years active duty in the Navy, and four years Reserve duty.

In February of 2009, Cynthia's 16-year-old daughter got a letter from the VA stating her mother was dead and they needed her to provide a death certificate. It took her months of phone calls and trips to the local VA to get reinstated in April.

Then, a few months later, in July of that same year, she got another letter claiming she was dead, and this time, the government said her estate owed them money.
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Victim's family wants body of killer removed from honored burial place

Victim's family wants Army vet's body exhumed, moved from military cemetery
May. 31, 2013
By Dan McFeely
The Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS — Just weeks after his daughter-in-law was brutally gunned down during a shooting spree, Frank Koehl learned that her killer, who had committed suicide, was buried with military honors.

The remains of Michael LeShawn Anderson are resting beside other military veterans — many of them decorated heroes — at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Mich.

That’s a violation of federal law, and as the first anniversary of the tragic killing arrives Thursday, Koehl is on a mission to have Anderson’s remains dug up and removed.

“It was just a total insult,” said Koehl. “It just rips at your heart.”

The shooting spree shocked Indianapolis and residents of an apartment complex on the northeast side of the city where the shooting took place. Anderson shot four people and a dog that day before shooting himself. There was no known motive, no evidence of drugs in his system and no signs that he was suffering from any mental disorder.

While family members were still in shock over the sudden loss of Alicia Koehl, 45, a wife and mother of two who was shot 13 times and bled to death in her office, her killer’s body had been claimed by his family members and taken back to his hometown of Albion, Mich.
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Slain Army veteran was trying to keep peace

Slain Army veteran was trying to keep peace
Wilson tried to defuse situation, protect others
Ebone Monet
April 22, 2013
RTV6 News

INDIANAPOLIS - Friends and family are speaking out about the slain Army veteran who was trying to keep a situation from elevating into trouble at a Denny’s on the city’s north side.

Mario Wilson, 46, arrived at the restaurant with his fiancé Karen Dunbar and friends Carl and Annette Smith on Saturday morning around 5 a.m.

Trouble broke out before the couples had a chance to eat. They said there was an angry disruption right after they ordered.
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Guns shows draw crowds 5 left early after being shot

Why would anyone bring a loaded gun to a gun show?

5 accidentally shot at gun shows in North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana
By Vignesh Ramachandran
Staff Writer
NBC News

Five people were wounded in accidents at gun shows in North Carolina, Ohio and Indiana on Saturday, according to authorities.

In Raleigh, N.C., authorities said three people were wounded when a loaded shotgun accidentally discharged at the Dixie Gun and Knife Show at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. Officials say Gary Lynn Wilson, 36, was having his shotgun checked before entering the show when the incident happened. He was unzipping his 12-gauge shotgun's case when it accidentally fired birdshot pellets, hitting three people, The News & Observer in Raleigh reported. Wilson was planning on privately selling the gun at the show, according to NBC affiliate WNCN.

In Medina, Ohio, an exhibitor at a local gun show was opening a box containing a gun when the weapon went off, striking his partner, who was sitting next to him, NBC station WKYC of Cleveland reported.

In Indianapolis, state police said a 54-year-old man was loading his .45 caliber semi-automatic gun when he shot himself in the hand, The Associated Press reported. The victim, Emory L. Cozee, had been leaving the Indy 1500 Gun and Knife show at the state fairgrounds, officials told the AP. Loaded personal weapons are not permitted inside this show, according to the AP. read more here

Victim's family upset murder-suicide attacker buried at Fort Custer Cemetery

Victim's family upset murder-suicide attacker is buried at Fort Custer cemetery
Battle Creek Enquirer
Oct 19, 2012
Written by
Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — The husband of an Indianapolis apartment complex manager killed by a gunman is upset that the Army veteran was buried at a military cemetery in Michigan.

Police say 30-year-old Michael Anderson fatally shot himself as officers confronted him after killing 45-year-old Alicia Koehl and wounding three other people on May 31 at the complex where he previously lived.

Paul Koehl tells WISH-TV that military rules should’ve prevented Anderson’s June burial at Fort Custer National Cemetery near Battle Creek, Mich.
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Indianapolis Veterans Affairs office has high error rate

Veterans Affairs office here has high error rate, audit reveals
Federal review shows mistakes in handling disability claims

Written by
Mary Beth Schneider


A federal audit of the Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Indianapolis found an alarmingly high number of errors in processing disability claims.

Of 80 claims the audit reviewed, a sampling of the far larger caseload the office handles, 33 -- or 41 percent -- were handled improperly.

In some cases, veterans were overpaid. Those overpayments totaled about $1 million -- money veterans apparently must pay back. In other cases, payments or approvals of benefits were delayed.

In all, the audit found problems in 16 cases that affected veterans' benefits in some way and 17 cases that had the potential to affect benefits. Three cases involved underpayment of benefits.
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Half Naked Man Drives Up Indiana War Memorial

Half Naked Man Drives Up Indiana War Memorial: Police Arrest Daniel Whitaker For Terroristic Mischief

State Police arrested an Indianapolis man on Tuesday after he allegedly drove his SUV up the steps of the Indiana War Memorial, wrapped himself in an American flag, and lit a small fire.

Officials identified the half-naked protester as 49-year-old Daniel Whitaker, WTHR reports.

Whitaker, who described himself to police as a member of the "Texas army," placed a large cross on the memorial, which he briefly stood before while wearing a metal helmet fashioned with a plume and carrying a bright blue staff, police said.

Police also said that once Whitaker drove up the memorial, he poured a canister of gasoline down the steps and lit a fire, WSBT reports.
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From combat to charges, PTSD veteran faces judge

Still fighting: After combatting insurgents in Iraq, veteran struggles with stress disorder, alcoholism
By MARK KEIERLEBER
IDS
OCT. 2, 2011

Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran Anthony Ray Halliday stood at the front of the courtroom with a straight back.

His black suit and light blue Oxford shirt were clean and wrinkle-free. His shaved head towered above his attorney, who stood to his right.

Halliday, 41, pleaded guilty in the Monroe County Circuit Court on Sept. 27 before
Judge Marc R. Kellams for driving while under the influence of alcohol on two separate
accounts.

Halliday was almost motionless, occasionally rocking forward onto the toes of his polished black dress shoes.

Halliday joined the Army in May 2003 at the age of 32. In 2007 and 2008, he served in Iraq as a sergeant of the Military Police Unit. While in Iraq, Halliday watched as fellow soldiers were killed around him. His time in combat was traumatic and life-altering, he said.

“I was a very good soldier, and I was coded to be a very good soldier,” Halliday said.

After returning from combat to the United States, Halliday said he suffered from several medical problems, including a hernia and tinnitus.

But he also suffered mentally.

After a visit to the Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis, Halliday was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in late 2009, nearly a year after he returned from Iraq.
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If Indianapolis thinks 1 in 8 will end up with PTSD, what will they think about the real number?

The real number is one out of three, a third of the troops we send. That's on the tame side because this does not factor in re-deployments increase the risk by 50% for each time sent back. One out of eight? Not even close and that is the most frightening part of all.

Walk raises awareness for soldiers' disorder
Updated: Sep 27, 2009 6:47 PM EDT


Indianapolis - A walk Sunday raised awareness of a life-threatening condition facing soldiers at home.

In honor of the troops who have marched courageously into war, a crowd of supporters marched downtown to help them fight the next battle many face once they return home.

"One in eight are predicted to have some sort of stress disorder, particularly post-traumatic stress," said Cami Pond, Indiana State Medical Association Alliance.

"We're here today to talk about PTSD. That hidden injury that is out there that we don't see, but it's so prevalent," said Major General R. Martin Umbarger.

Being rocked by explosions, death, excruciating pain and debilitating injuries can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, where the anxiety and fear of combat is carried into civilian life.

"The ultimate problem with post-traumatic stress disorder is feeling like they cannot cope and, as a result, take their own life," said J. James Rohack M.D., American Medical Association president.
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http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=11207442

Video Gallery

Walk for troops
2:18


Tomorrow is our anniversary. 25 years married with PTSD. We're living proof it is not hopeless and they can live with PTSD. This also means that we've been dealing with PTSD for longer than that. In 1978 there were already studies done. Most of what we read today has already been done, collecting dust in researchers stalks, in college achieves and obscure groups with friends in right places to hand out research cash. We know the drill well. It's almost as if they think the human mind, body and spirit has changed so drastically all the research already done is no useless. Nothing has changed. The original design is the same. Warfare, if anything is a little less horrific because they are not doing face to fact combat hacking off limbs at such close range they could hear the bones snap. Now they are not as close, but the bombs blow up more people a lot quicker.

We will see more and more coming home like my husband did, like all veterans did, and keep wondering when someone will help them. We will keep wondering because no one really paid attention the first time we were here with all of this. The death count goes up, families still fall apart, veterans end up homeless and in jail, but we dare to wonder why.