In La Porte, Indiana, on the evening of March 28, 2020, a young man named Tyler Terusiak, aged 20, was fatally shot. The incident, which also resulted in the wounding of another individual, Stanley Henderson, took place in the 1400 block of Jefferson Avenue.
The man responsible for the shooting, 23-year-old Davion L. Jones of Chesterton, drove himself to the La Porte County Sheriff's Department immediately after the event.
He informed the police about his firearm, which was located in his burgundy Pontiac Grand Am, and provided a statement about what had transpired. Initially, Jones was reportedly unaware that his shots had struck Terusiak and Henderson.
Jones stated that he had gone to the Jefferson Avenue location with his brother to pick up his brother's girlfriend's daughter. He claimed that a group of people across the street were trying to start a fight with her and were making threats. According to his account, a man from the group pointed a small black handgun at him. In response, Jones fired several shots in the man's direction, causing everyone to disperse. He then left the scene and went directly to the sheriff's department. Police later recovered a. 40-caliber Glock handgun with a 50-round magazine and four spent shell casings from his vehicle.
Following the shooting, Davion L. Jones was charged with murder, attempted murder, and aggravated battery. During his three-day trial in La Porte Circuit Court, he maintained that he acted in self-defense. The prosecution presented an independent witness who testified to not seeing Henderson with a gun. However, the defense contested this, arguing that Henderson had indeed pointed a weapon at Jones.
Ultimately, the jury's decision came down to the credibility of the witnesses. In December 2021, the jury acquitted Davion L. Jones on all charges, accepting his claim of self-defense. The jury also considered a reckless homicide charge at the defense's request but did not return a verdict on that count.
