MUNCIE, Ind. — The suspect arrested in the deadly mass shooting at a block party in Muncie over the weekend is now facing formal charges.
John L. Vance Jr., of Yorktown, is charged with two counts of aggravated battery, criminal recklessness and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. The prosecutor's office noted that, at this time, Vance is not charged with the killing of 30-year-old Joseph Bonner of Muncie. The office did note Vance has two prior felony convictions and will seek to treat him as a habitual offender. The prosecutor also wants a firearm enhancement, which can add an additional five to 20 years to the total sentence, if convicted.
The 36-year-old was arrested Aug. 1 during a traffic stop. A judge set his cash bail at $105,000, according to Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman.
At an initial court appearance Tuesday, Aug. 8, Vance entered a not guilty plea. The judge set a pre-trial conference for Dec. 7, 2023, and a scheduled jury trial start date of Jan. 29, 2024.
Immediately after the appearance, Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman told 13News, "Nothing is set in stone. It's an ongoing investigation," with regard to Vance not being charged in the death of Bonner.
According to court documents, victims who had been shot told police they saw Vance arguing with a man, later identified as Bonner, 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.
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 Monday, Aug. 7, three people were still in the hospital. All three were described by officials as stable, two at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital and one at an Indianapolis hospital.
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."
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. It is those convictions that has the prosecutor looking for habitual offender status for Vance.