In the quiet, late-night hours of November 29, 2021, the peaceful life of 65-year-old Ivan Wade Flowers was tragically cut short. A knock at the door of his Kennard, Indiana, residence in Henry County stirred him from his sleep. When he answered, he was fatally shot by a man who then fled the scene. His family was home at the time of the shooting.
The suspect was identified as 34-year-old Benjamin Petry of North Vernon.
Though the motive for the tragic event remains unclear, investigators determined that Petry and Flowers were acquaintances and that the shooting was not a random act of violence.
Following the shooting, law enforcement agencies in the surrounding areas were alerted and provided with a description of the suspect and his vehicle. Shortly after midnight, officers with the Rushville Police Department spotted a vehicle matching the description traveling south on State Road 3. The officers followed the vehicle to a Speedway gas station on North Main Street in Rushville.
As Petry exited the convenience store, two officers attempted to engage him. Petry, however, did not comply with their verbal commands. Instead, he reached for a holster, drew a handgun, and aimed it at the officers. In response to the imminent threat, both officers discharged their weapons, striking Petry multiple times. Law enforcement administered first aid until medical personnel arrived, but Petry was pronounced dead at the scene. The two officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, which is standard procedure in such incidents.
