Poland, Indiana.
Clay, Putnam, and Owen County Sheriff's Dept along with the Indiana State Police at Terre Haute are continuing an investigation into the shooting death of Tony Vanet, age and town of residence unavailable.
Sheriff Rob Carter of the Clay County Sheriff's Dept, reports that there was a shooting Friday night Dec 28th about 11pm. The victim was found in the bed of a pick-up truck at state road 243 and Burma Road in Putnam County
A suspect has been identified as 21 year old Brandon Tyler Custis of Rural Owen County has been arrested for the crime, and has been preliminarily charged with murder. He`s being held in the Clay County Jail without bond. The motive seems to be an argument amongst several youths in the Poland area.
An autopsy shows the victim died of a single gunshot wound to the head.
Carter said a bystander reported hearing an argument and gunshots near his house
at 11 p.m. Friday, one mile south of Poland on the Poland-Bowling Green Road in
eastern Clay County. When sheriff's deputies and Indiana State Police troopers
arrived about 11:20 p.m., the men involved in the argument had left, Police
found a large pool of blood there.
The officers soon received a call from Putnam County sheriff's deputies, who had stopped three individuals in a pickup truck at the intersection of Indiana 243 and Burma Road in Putnam County.
Two had been shot. The men were identified as Vanet, his brother Paul, age and town of residence unavailable, and Brad Hoffman, age unavailable, of Indianapolis.
Tony Vanet was pronounced dead in Putnamville. Paul Vanet, shot in the left arm, was taken by ambulance to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he was being treated Saturday night. A nursing supervisor there said Paul Vanet's condition was unavailable.
Owen County and Putnam County deputies and Indiana conservation officers also were called to the scene to help with the investigation early Saturday morning. Hoffman told police the argument was between Custis and Tony Vanet and escalated to shots being fired, Carter said.
"Custis allegedly pulled out his three-eighty [caliber] firearm and shot [Tony] Vanet in the head," he said. "Vanet's brother pulled out a 12-gauge shotgun and fired five shots at Custis as he fled."
In an exchange of gunfire, Custis also hit Paul Vanet once in the left arm, Carter said.
Carter and Clay County Deputies impounded the pickup and obtained a search warrant for Custis' home. Custis turned himself in to the Clay County Sheriff's Department at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Carter said the investigation had revealed the names of other individuals who may have been involved in the shooting. Some were interviewed, and others need to be questioned.
Carter said he will meet with Indiana State Police detectives and Clay County Prosecutor David Thomas on Monday to discuss the investigation. Custis' court date is pending.
"This is a very complex case, but we're going to lay everything out on the table and decide what charges to file on whom," he said. "There were a lot of individuals involved