An armed man on a vigilante mission to avenge the killing of his great-grandchildren was gunned down in a chaotic shootout with deputies escorting inmates in front of an Indiana courthouse Tuesday, according to family and officials.
The 65-year-old shooter, Mark Vawter, showed up at the Hendricks County Courthouse at 12:55 p.m. with the intention of slaughtering S’Doni Pettis, who’s accused of killing Vawter’s young great-grandchildren in a fiery car crash during a February police chase.
While trying to evade capture, Pettis, 25, slammed the stolen Honda Civic he was driving into a Ford Explorer containing 3-year-old Ares and 2-month-old Iris, according to court records.
The youngsters were horribly burned when the Explorer — driven by their dad — exploded into a fireball.
Iris, who had just left her 2-month doctor checkup about 30 minutes before the crash, died at the scene. Good Samaritans and officers pulled Ares out of the inferno.
He was rushed to the hospital with burns on 60 percent of his body. The family took him off life support a few days later, according to reports.
Pettis was supposed to have a court appearance in the vehicular manslaughter case Tuesday, but unbeknownst to Vawter, it had been rescheduled.
An armed Vawter was spotted leaning against a courthouse wall when the deputies started to transport the inmates.
He approached and confronted the group, firing off at least one shot shortly after, according to officials and reports.
His shot did not hit anyone, but two Hendricks County sheriff’s deputies, Zachary Emmitt and Nathan Phillips, returned fire and did not miss.
Vawter was pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials.
The great-grandfather spoke with the IndyStar at Riley Hospital for Children just days after the fatal fiery crash, as he was observing a Walk of Honor for little Ares, who became an organ donor after his death.
“It should have been Ares who buried me, not me burying him,” an emotional Vawter said at the time. “He was so young.”
Neighbors suspect Vawter had been planning his revenge for weeks, according to I-Team 8.
Dennis and Charlotte Wagoner said they had a disturbing conversation with Vawter weeks before the shootout in which he told them that he didn’t have long to live.
“I think that he was planning it, to go over there at the courthouse and take out that guy who took out his grandkids,” Charlotte Wagoner said.
“It didn’t mean anything to me [at the time]. I just thought maybe he was confused or something. The way he put it. It’s kind of spooky now,” Dennis Wagoner said.
Prosecutors, citing a “public safety interest,” now want Pettis to appear remotely for all future court hearings and have requested the court deny the public access to his records, according to CBS4Indy.
They argued that giving the public access to Pettis’ court dates could “create the opportunity for further attempts at vigilantism or reprisals,” imperiling the lives of other inmates, deputies and passersby.
Indiana State Police is conducting an investigation into the shooting at the request of the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office. Cameras in the area captured the shooting, officials said.
The two deputies who fatally shot Vawter were placed on administrative leave while the probe is ongoing.
