Charges filed in events leading to police shooting
MUNCIE — Formal charges have been filed against three men involved in a May 6 incident that saw one of them shot by a city police officer.
That officer suffered a fractured collarbone and road rash when he was thrown from the van driven by the gunshot victim, according to court documents.
The van’s driver — William Oliver Jackson Jr., 53, of the 1100 block of North Leland Avenue — is charged in Delaware Circuit Court 5 with aggravated battery, resisting law enforcement and three drug-related charges, two counts of dealing in a narcotic drug, and possession of marijuana.
One of the heroin-dealing charges is a Level 2 felony carrying up to 30 years in prison. Aggravated battery is a Level 3 felony with a 16-year maximum sentence.
Also charged this week in Circuit Court 5 were:
• James W. Tabb, 55, of the 1600 block of South Walnut Street, facing three counts of dealing in a narcotic drug, possession of a narcotic drug and resisting law enforcement.
• George Neloms, 59, of Chicago, Ill., charged with possession of a narcotic drug and resisting law enforcement.
Documents indicate city police were investigating Tabb’s alleged participation in heroin deals when they pulled over the van driven by Jackson — and occupied by Tabb and Neloms — on North Elgin Street on the afternoon of May 6.
An investigator was trying to gain entry to the van, and had stepped onto a side rail when Jackson allegedly drove away at a high rate of speed, with the officer still “hanging on,” a report said.
The officer — whose name has not been released — yelled for the driver to stop or he would shoot, then fired an unspecified number of gunshots, an affidavit said. He was thrown from the vehicle when Jackson made a “hard swerve,” investigators said.
The three men were arrested a few minutes later near the van, which was found in the 2200 block of North Turner Street. Three bags of heroin were also recovered.
Jackson — who underwent surgery after being shot — was being held without bond in the Delaware County jail on Tuesday.
Neloms also remained in the jail, held under a $67,500 bond. Tabb was released a day after the incident after posting a $97,500 bond.
The three heroin deals leading to charges against Tabb took place between April 19 and May 6, court documents allege. Jackson is accused of participating in two of those transactions.
Michelle L. Knight , 46, of the 3800 block of North Broadway, faces two counts of dealing in a narcotic drug, also in Circuit Court 5, for his alleged role in the first two of those heroin deals.
Indiana State Police are also investigating the events of May 6, standard practice in a case involving a shooting by a city police officer.
Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @DouglasWalkerSP.
