Gonzalez
Prosecutors have formally charged a Greenwood man with murder following a fatal shooting outside a local restaurant earlier this month.
Marco Antonio Gonzalez, 25, was charged with murder in Johnson County Superior Court 3 on Monday. Police believe he fatally shot Timothy A. Sannito, 52, of Indianapolis, outside Ale Emporium, 997 E. County Line Road, on March 8.
An initial hearing has not yet been set for Gonzalez.
First responders were called to Ale Emporium on a report of a person shot around 9:20 p.m. March 8. Sannito was found shot and unresponsive in the restaurant’s parking lot, and witnesses reported a black SUV fled the scene.
Sannito was later taken to Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis where he died around 9:56 p.m. from two gunshot wounds, officials said.
Sannito was seen on security footage exiting the restaurant at 9:18 p.m., before walking toward and entering his own car at 9:19 p.m. A black SUV was parked next to him, and movement was seen inside it when Sannito entered his vehicle. Witnesses told police this was around the time shots were fired but this was not able to be seen on the footage, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Twenty seconds later, the black SUV backed out of its parking space and Sannito was seen falling to the ground. The car then fled westbound on County Line Road, and the car was later observed on multiple FLOCK traffic cameras as it left the city, the affidavit shows.
Police later determined the SUV belonged to Gonzalez. When he was arrested, he was asked about how he felt about being charged with murder, and Gonzalez reportedly replied that “maybe it’s not murder” and questioned whether the charge would “stick,” suggesting it should be manslaughter instead, according to the affidavit.
He told police it should be manslaughter because it wasn’t premeditated and because he didn’t know Sannito. Gonzalez also said he was “not really” being threatened by anyone or afraid of anything at the time of the shooting, according to the affidavit.
While being transported to the Johnson County jail, Gonzalez asked an officer if they had killed someone before. The officer said yes, saying he served in the military and was involved in a police-action shooting, the affidavit shows.
After some silence, Gonzalez reportedly said, “I should have joined the military, at least then I could have murdered someone and gotten away with it,” the affidavit says. ‘
Sannito’s death has left his friends and family with an “unsettling void in their lives,” his family wrote in his obituary. Originally from Hammond, he graduated from Purdue University’s engineering program before receiving a MBA from the University of Indianapolis. He’s also coached many teams for many years for both his son and daughter, and loved being a dad and husband.
A fundraiser is ongoing to help cover Sannito’s family’s funeral expenses. In 10 days, more than $29,719 has been raised so far, according to the fundraising page on Treasured Memories Community Funding.
To donate, go to tmcfunding.com/funds/tim-sannito-funeral-expenses/7649/.
