William Ronald Toney, a 31-year-old male police officer, was fatally shot in Beech Grove, Indiana, on the night of September 29, 2000, just one day shy of his 32nd birthday. That evening, another officer had identified a suspicious van and attempted to pull it over. The driver refused to stop, initiating a vehicle pursuit. Toney joined the chase, which ended when the van crashed in a residential area near the 700 block of Churchman Avenue.
Following the crash, the driver of the van,
Benjamin Ritchie, then 20 years old, fled on foot with Toney in pursuit. In a backyard on Fletcher Lane, Ritchie turned and fired several shots from a 9mm handgun at the approaching officer. One of the bullets struck Toney in the neck, in an area not protected by his bullet-resistant vest. Toney was able to return a single shot but did not hit his assailant. He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A massive manhunt involving over 100 officers from various agencies ensued, leading to Ritchie's arrest in a nearby house several hours later. The investigation revealed that Ritchie, who was on probation for burglary at the time, and a passenger had stolen the van with the intent to commit a robbery. Inside the wrecked vehicle, police discovered wigs and masks.
Ritchie was charged with a slate of offenses, including murder, auto theft, and resisting law enforcement. In October 2002, a jury found him guilty, and he was subsequently sentenced to death. A second suspect, a passenger in the van, entered into a plea agreement and received a four-year sentence for assisting a criminal and other lesser charges; he was released from prison in 2006. After numerous legal appeals lasting for decades, Benjamin Ritchie's death warrant was signed, and he was executed by lethal injection in May of 2025.
