INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 22, 2008) – A man is under arrest who is suspected of shooting at two television photographers at the scene of a vacant house fire in the middle of the night here last week, and police say the man did it because he was "irritated" with the media.
After a search of his house turned up a pellet gun, police say Derek Matthews, 30, confessed to the shooting. He's been charged with criminal recklessness an battery. Indianapolis police chief Michael Spears described Matthews as "deranged," the Indianapolis Star reports.
WISH-TV photojournalist Kevin Hankins and freelance photojournalist Tod Parker, shooting for the Pike Township Fire Department, were injured when they were hit with what was thought at the time to be bullets from a .22 caliber weapon. Hankins was hit in the back, Parker in the arm, and they were treated and released for their wounds. A firefighter's air tank was also hit by one of the shots.
Police said Matthews, who has previous convictions for battery and drug possession, was irritated with the media who were there covering the vacant house fire in the middle of the night, but who had not come to his neighborhood several days ago to cover a disturbance at his residence that involved him, and his claim that he had been shot.
Matthews had commented angrily to one of the photographers "You should have been here two weeks ago," police said, and Matthews told the photographer to get off "his" sidewalk (which was public property) shortly before he disappeared. Soon afterwards, the photographers were wounded by the shots.
Police said a pellet gun is not considered a firearm by Indiana law, but that the felony charges of criminal recklessness and battery each carry a prison sentence of up to eight years if Matthews is convicted.
