MUNCIE, Indiana — Muncie police have completed a probable-cause affidavit accusing Dairus T. Thompson II, 40, of Farmland, Indiana, of aiding, inducing or causing murder in the October 5 killing of a 17-year-old in Muncie, Deputy Chief Melissa Criswell said on Friday, October 23, USA TODAY reported, in a development first reported by The Star Press. In line with minor-safety practice, the victim is identified only by age and city.
Source: USA TODAY / The Star Press
According to the affidavit, investigators believe the teenager may have been caught in the middle of a feud involving people associated with Thompson and a 27-year-old Muncie man who resembled him. The 17-year-old was found shot multiple times inside a vehicle in the 1400 block of East Cromer Avenue in the early hours of October 5 and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. He had gone to dinner with a friend and was sitting with her in a vehicle outside her home when the shooting occurred; she was not struck, the affidavit states.
Source: USA TODAY / The Star Press
Investigators said surveillance footage showed a white GMC Acadia matching the description of Thompson's vehicle near the scene, and that the vehicle later traveled to Farmland, where Thompson lives. Cellphones seized from Thompson and a juvenile relative were also located near the scene around the time of the shooting, according to the affidavit, and a review of the phones allegedly uncovered a video that investigators say appeared to show Thompson giving step-by-step instructions on how to carry out a drive-by shooting. A witness allegedly told police that Thompson acknowledged after the death that the teenager had been mistaken for the man his associates had been feuding with. All of these are allegations in a police affidavit and have not been adjudicated in court.
Source: USA TODAY / The Star Press
"This is just one milestone in this investigation as our department continues to fervently work on this case," Criswell said Friday. "This is still an active, ongoing investigation." The Delaware County Prosecutor's Office will determine whether to file formal charges against Thompson in the teenager's death. Thompson remained jailed in Delaware County on Friday, USA TODAY reported.
Source: USA TODAY / The Star Press
Thompson was arrested on October 14 at his Farmland home in connection with a separate case involving a fatal shooting in Anderson, Indiana, on September 6, and was charged in Madison County with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, a Level 4 felony, USA TODAY reported, citing court documents. According to those documents, he is barred from possessing firearms because of a 2019 Michigan conviction for dealing or manufacturing a controlled substance. The death of the 17-year-old, a high-school senior and standout football player, drew mourning across the Yorktown and Muncie school community when it was first reported earlier this month, WPTA 21Alive reported.
Source: WPTA 21Alive