Robbie L. Perez
The suspect in the June 1 shooting of a 3-year-old child and his father in Hope has been charged in Bartholomew Circuit Court with attempted murder and two counts of aggravated battery, according to a joint news release from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department and the county prosecutor’s office.
Robbie Perez, 35, Homer, an unincorporated town in Rush County, is being held without bond on the charges, said sheriff department spokesman Sgt. Dane Duke.
Perez is still being treated for a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chin at Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, and a Bartholomew County corrections officer is stationed at the hospital while he is there, according to Sheriff Chris Lane. His condition is unknown at this time, but Lane has said he expects that Perez will be transported to the Bartholomew County Jail later this week, or sometime next week.
Sheriff deputies were called to the 300 block of Elm Street in Hope at 11:25 p.m. June 1 on a report of a shooting, Duke said.
George Perez Jr., 36, who lives at the residence, and his 3-year-old son, Kingston, were shot in the incident and transported to Indianapolis area hospitals by Lifeline helicopter, Duke said.
George Perez Jr. was treated and released, but Kingston remains hospitalized in what has been described by his father as critical but stable condition at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family with the boy’s medical expenses, and his father continued to ask for prayers for his son after the boy had surgery on Tuesday.
On the night of the shooting, investigators believe Robbie Perez went to the home and stood on the porch, firing shots inside the home and hitting the father and son, and then leaving the scene, according to previous interviews.
At 10:49 a.m. June 2, deputies were told that Robbie Perez’s silver Chevrolet HHR was westbound on East King Street near I-65 in Johnson County. Franklin police located the vehicle and attempted to stop it, Duke said.
A vehicle pursuit ensued and Robbie Perez was taken into custody by the Franklin officers.
However, when he was stopped, he was found to be suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chin at the end of the pursuit.
He was transported to Eskenazi Hospital for evaluations and treatment, Duke said. The vehicle was processed by crime scene technicians during which a firearm was located inside the vehicle. Investigators are determining if the gun used inside the vehicle is the same gun used at the Hope home, investigators said.
The investigation has revealed that the family dispute which culminated in the shooting centered around a long-term feud between the two Perez brothers, Duke said.
