INDIANAPOLIS — The father of the man a Marion County escaped inmate is accused of killing is speaking exclusively to 13News.
"We was happy when he was at the police station. We knew he was there, but when he got released, it was like my son got killed all over again," Darnell Mardis said.
Mardis said he was devastated when he heard earlier this week that Kevin Mason was mistakenly let out of the Community Justice Campus.
"I believe he paid to get out. This man is wanted for murder. There's no way in the world he should have gotten up out of that police station. I just don't understand it. How?" Mardis said.
He said his son, Dontevius Catchings, and Mason were friends. The 28-year-old was killed in 2021 outside a funeral in Minneapolis.
"They had a fist fight, and when my son walked away, that's when he shot him," Mardis said.
Mardis, who lives in Chicago, will continue to follow this case, that's now making national headlines.
"I believe he's still in Indianapolis," Mardis said.
That's because he said Mason's girlfriend, who is now in police custody, was found buying men's clothing.
"So, if she got caught with the stuff in Indianapolis, that means he's still there somewhere," Mardis said.
Police continue to ask for the public's help finding Mason.
"Anybody on the run that carries guns, I would think he's dangerous. At this point, he probably feels like he doesn't have anything to lose," Mardis said.
Mardis said he was always in contact with the officer in Minneapolis on the case, but he retired last year. It wasn't until a few months ago that he found out Mason was in Indianapolis. He believes it's only a matter of time before police find him.