A local man who has told investigators he is homeless was arrested on a preliminary charge of murder, accused of shooting another man at a Columbus mobile home park on Monday afternoon, Columbus police said Tuesday.
Corbin W. Hippensteel, 30, is being held in the Bartholomew County Jail without bond on a preliminary charge of murder in the shooting death of Alejandro Flores, 54, Columbus, investigators said.
A forensic autopsy is being conducted in Columbus for Flores on Thursday, said Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting.
At about 4:45 p.m. Monday, Columbus Police Department officers responded to a residence in the 2600 block of Joseph Cox Court in regards to a report of shots fired. When officers arrived at the scene, they located Flores deceased inside the residence, Columbus police said.
A description of the shooting suspect was provided to officers and they located Hippensteel a short time later walking in the Homestead Mobile Home Park on Joseph Cox Court. Hippensteel was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Columbus Police Department and then taken to the Bartholomew County Jail.
Official charging documents were not available at Republic deadline.
Online court records show Hippensteel, formerly of North Vernon, has a criminal record related to cases in Jennings County.
He was charged in December 2020 with felony counts of intimidation and criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon as well as misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
According to online court records, those charges were dismissed in April of 2022, one year after Hippensteel agreed to participate in a pretrial diversion program.
Prior to that case, in June of 2019, Hippensteel was charged with misdemeanor battery. That same month, Hippensteel entered a pretrial diversion agreement, and the battery charge was dismissed in February 2023.
The homicide investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact the Columbus Police Department at 812-376-2600.
