On a late summer evening in Cromwell, Indiana, a violent encounter unfolded that would leave a 56-year-old man dead and his twin brother seriously injured. Gary Helman, a man with a known history of confrontational behavior, was shot and killed on August 25, 2014, by a group of bail enforcement agents attempting to serve a felony warrant at his mother's residence on Doswell Boulevard.
The events of that day were the culmination of a two-month effort by the agents to apprehend Helman, who was wanted for failure to appear in court on charges of battery resulting in bodily injury and resisting law enforcement.
The three bail enforcement agents, Daniel Foster, Michael C. Thomas, and Tad Martin, had been hired by a bail bonds company to bring Gary Helman into custody. Their plan to locate and confirm Helman's presence at the Cromwell residence involved a controversial collaboration with a local online news reporter. The reporter allegedly conducted an interview with Helman at the home earlier in the day, later texting the agents to confirm he was there and providing descriptions of what he and his family members were wearing. Armed with this information, the agents moved in to execute their plan. Foster went to the front of the house, while Thomas and Martin positioned themselves at the back.
What happened next is a matter of conflicting accounts that would later be detailed in a civil trial. The bail agents asserted that they announced their presence and purpose. A gun battle erupted both inside and outside the home. During the exchange of gunfire, Gary Helman was shot and killed inside a back bedroom of the house. His twin brother, Larry Helman, was also shot and seriously wounded on the back porch. One of the bail agents, Tad Martin, sustained multiple gunshot wounds during the altercation and was also hospitalized in serious condition.
In the aftermath of the deadly shooting, an investigation was launched. Ultimately, no criminal charges were filed against the three bail enforcement agents involved in Gary Helman's death. However, the Helman family filed a civil lawsuit against the bail bonds company, the agents, and their insurer, alleging negligence, battery, trespassing, and intimidation. The family contended that the agents had no legal right to enter the home, as Gary Helman was only staying there and did not officially reside at his mother's address. The defense argued that all of Helman's official documents listed the Cromwell house as his residence. After a four-day trial, a jury found in favor of the defendants, and a subsequent appeal by the Helman family was also denied.
