10/26/09 - Gibson County
Two Gibson
County Men Arrested
in Weekend Shooting
By: Jonquil Newland
11:00 p.m.
Investigators have
arrested two men
they believe are
connected with the
early Sunday morning
shooting in Gibson
county. According to
the sheriff's
department, Joseph
Burnette, 23, of
Gibson County, was
fatally shot in his
backyard.
county. According to
the sheriff's
department, Joseph
Burnette, 23, of
Gibson County, was
fatally shot in his
backyard.
According to Gibson
County Sheriff Chuck
Arnold, it all
started because of
some bad blood
between Zachary
Ward, 19, of Dyer
and Brandon Ayers,
23, of Gibson
County. "Its
apparently just an
ongoing disagreement
between these two
guys, and they went
out t
here
to settle it," said
Arnold.
here
to settle it," said
Arnold.
According to the
sheriff, Colton
Reed, 19, of
Milan, and Ward went
to Burnette's house,
where Ayers was also
at
early Sunday morning.
"Supposedly for the
purpose of fighting
Brandon Ayers,"
Arnold said.
While Ayers and Ward
were
fighting, Arnold said
an altercation began
between Reed and
Burnette. According
to investigators,
that is when
witnesses said Reed
pulled a revolver
out of his jacket
pocket and shot
Burnette in the
chest. Ward and Reed
then fled the scene,
throwing the gun out
of the car about
three miles away.
fighting, Arnold said
an altercation began
between Reed and
Burnette. According
to investigators,
that is when
witnesses said Reed
pulled a revolver
out of his jacket
pocket and shot
Burnette in the
chest. Ward and Reed
then fled the scene,
throwing the gun out
of the car about
three miles away.
"Nothing like that
has ever happened
around here. It was
very shocking," said
Amanda Coble, who
lives a few doors
down from the
shooting and heard
the
gun go off. "I was
on the verge of
going to sleep and I
heard this loud
popping sound,"
Coble said. "About
30 seconds later I
heard two more. I
thought, 'Ok,
something is weird.'
A little bit later
we heard an
ambulance go by and
I knew something was
really wrong then."
gun go off. "I was
on the verge of
going to sleep and I
heard this loud
popping sound,"
Coble said. "About
30 seconds later I
heard two more. I
thought, 'Ok,
something is weird.'
A little bit later
we heard an
ambulance go by and
I knew something was
really wrong then."
Reed has been
charged with second
degree murder and
reckless
endangerment. Ward
has been charged as
an accessory after
the fact. They
remain in the Gibson
County jail without
bond, and will be
officially charged
on November 3.
Ayers has been
charged with
theft for an
unrelated incident.