Lal T. Fela
A Greenwood man now charged in last weekend’s shooting in White River Township claims he doesn’t remember committing the act, court documents show.
Lal Thang Fela, 53, is charged with battery by means of a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony, and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, a Level 6 felony, for the Aug. 19 shooting that occurred at a home in the 1200 block of Wood Creek Drive, Greenwood.
The shooting occurred at approximately 4:09 p.m. Aug 19, and once Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the home, they found one person who had been shot. The man, a 24-year-old family member of Lal, was taken to IU Methodist Hospital in serious but stable condition. He is now recovering at home.
The sheriff’s office arrested Lal following the Aug. 19 incident, but investigators had difficulty with gathering facts they are able to release to the public due to a language barrier, Sheriff Duane Burgess said Monday.
Court documents provided to the Daily Journal Thursday detail what led up to the shooting, and what Lal told deputies about the incident.
As deputies were responding to the scene, they were told Lal was still inside the house and possibly barricaded. A deputy went to the back of the home to set up a perimeter, and found Lal sitting on the back porch smoking a cigarette, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The deputy told Lal to walk toward him with his hands up, but Lal “seemed to have trouble walking steadily” and understanding instructions. A portable breath test later showed Lal had a blood alcohol level of 0.225, the affidavit shows.
The 24-year-old who was shot told deputies that Lal had shot him. He was the only person injured in the shooting.
The 24-year-old was playing a video game when Lal came into their bedroom asking him if he heard something. He said he did not, and as the conversation continued Lal became frustrated. Lal left the room, leaving the door open, and the 24-year-old later slammed it shut, according to the affidavit.
A short while later, the 24-year-old heard gunfire in the kitchen. The 24-year-old went into the kitchen and saw Lal was holding a revolver. Lal reportedly asked him if he wanted to argue with him and then shot the 24-year-old in his arm, the affidavit says.
One witness who heard the shooting said they walked into the room and saw Lal standing with a pistol in his hand and the 24-year-old on the floor bleeding. The witness grabbed Lal, taking the gun away from him and tossing it on the floor, the affidavit says.
The witness let go of Lal, who went into another room. Lal allegedly came back with a shotgun, causing the witness to take the other gun away from Lal. Lal then went out into the backyard, according to the affidavit.
The witness told deputies they did not hear any arguments or fighting before the shooting. A second witness told deputies a similar story.
Lal had been diagnosed with a brain tumor two years ago, and while Lal had anger issues before the surgery, they seemed to have gotten worse, the 24-year-old man told deputies at the hospital. Lal had also been drinking alcohol and had been out of work since he had surgery, according to the affidavit.
Lal reportedly would become meaner when he drank alcohol, the 24-year-old told deputies. He said he didn’t want to press charges against Lal.
Deputies later searched the home, finding that Lal had allegedly fired three of the revolvers six rounds. Three of the live rounds had been slightly struck by the firing pin, but not enough to cause them to be fired, according to the affidavit.
When deputies interviewed Lal through the aid of an interpreter, he told them he was on chemotherapy and said he had been drinking alcohol and was not able to make the right decisions. He said he did not mean to shoot his family member, the affidavit shows.
Lal was asked if there was an argument before the shooting, and he reportedly said he did not remember shooting the 24-year-old. He also said he was unsure of what happened during that whole day period, the affidavit shows.
Deputies also asked Lal if he knew whether the 24-year-old was alive and if he was sorry for shooting him. Lal said he wanted out of the issue and that he prayed for his family each night, according to the affidavit.
Prior to formal charges being filed, Lal was initially held on a warrant stemming from a domestic violence case filed against him in May. The 24-year-old was not the victim of the previous domestic violence case, but is mentioned in the police report as a witness, according to a probable cause affidavit from that case.
During that incident, witnesses said Lal allegedly hit another family member on the evening of May 23. When deputies arrived Lal was being held down by the 24-year-old and the family member allegedly harmed in the domestic violence incident, the affidavit says.
Witnesses said Lal kicked at the family member’s bedroom door until he opened it, when the door opened he allegedly punched the family member in the face. The family member punched back and then joined with the 24-year-old in holding Lal down until deputies arrived, court documents say.
While he was being held down, Lal allegedly told the 24-year-old and the other family member he was going to shoot them, the affidavit says.
Lal was allegedly drunk that night and witnesses say he sometimes gets angry and violent with family members when that happens, the affidavit says.
