MUNCIE, Ind. — Court documents are sharing more details about an arrest made Tuesday afternoon in connection to the deadly mass shooting at a block party in Muncie over the weekend.
Around 4:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 1, police arrested 36-year-old John L. Vance Jr., of Yorktown, on preliminary charges of two counts of aggravated battery, criminal recklessness and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.
Police confirmed Vance was arrested during a traffic stop and was a passenger in the car.
Judge Linda Wolf set Vance's cash bail at $105,000, according to Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman.
"The charges at this time for which Vance was arrested, they do not include charges related to the killing of Joseph Bonner," Muncie Police Department Deputy Chief Melissa Criswell said. "The investigation into his death and the events of July 30 are still rapidly evolving and ongoing, and it’s far from over."
Vance's previous criminal history includes convictions for domestic battery, dealing in cocaine, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and battery resulting in bodily injury.
According to court documents, victims who had been shot told police they saw Vance arguing with a man, later identified as 30-year-old Joseph Bonner, of Muncie, who died at the scene.
Court documents say one of the victims told police they saw punches being thrown and then Vance getting out what the victim described as a "Glock-style handgun." Then, the victim said they heard five to six gunshots before falling to the ground.
According to court documents, both victims who police spoke with positively identified Vance and Bonner from photos police provided.
The prosecutor's office is reviewing the case and expects to file formal charges in the coming days.
"I can’t comment as far as future arrests, but we still have a lot to work and a lot of follow-ups to complete," Criswell said.
In total, 17 people were wounded and another person was injured after being hit by a fleeing car while attending the block party at South Hackley and East Willard streets in the early morning of Sunday, July 30.
As of Wednesday, seven people are still in the hospital. Police confirmed three of those are in stable condition in Indianapolis and three are in stable condition in Muncie.
The city said the party did receive a noise ordinance exemption for an event up to 75 people. Estimates place between 500 and 1,000 people actually in attendance at the event, according to city officials. Police said they were working to contact the owner to shut the event down, but did not have officers present at the time of the shooting. Police said officers were able to move in as people dispersed.
"We did make an initial phone call, we asked that party be shut down," Muncie Police Chief Nathan Sloan said. "It was not shut down, and then, we tried to call several other times, and he refused to take our call."