Benjamin S. 'Ben' Jeffery, a 49-year-old male, was tragically killed on Monday, January 27, 2025, in what authorities have described as a senseless act of violence. The incident occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. at a Martin's Super Market in Elkhart, Indiana. Jeffery was a customer at the store at the time of the shooting. Another individual, 19-year-old Annasue Rocha, an employee of the supermarket, was also killed in the attack.
The lone gunman was identified as 54-year-old Juan M.
Sanchez. After opening fire inside the store, Sanchez exited the building and was confronted by two Elkhart police officers, Corporal Paul Vandenburg and Patrolman Ethan Pasternak. Sanchez fired at the officers, injuring both, before they returned fire and fatally shot him in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex. The motive for Sanchez's actions was still under investigation by the Elkhart County Homicide Unit.
Known to his friends and family as Ben, Mr. Jeffery was remembered as a man with a kind and loving soul who loved God and people. He had a great sense of humor and was described as a 'comedian's best friend.' In a tragic parallel to his own death, Ben had previously experienced profound loss when his first wife, Angela, and their two daughters, Sarah and Kaitlyn, died in a house fire in 2001. At the time of his death, he was in the process of writing a book about grief, which his family hopes to complete and publish in his honor. A funeral service to celebrate his life was held at The Vine Church in Goshen.
