Two Indiana circuit court judges were shot in a White Castle parking lot when a squabble with strangers took a violent turn.
Clark County Judges Brad Jacobs and Drew Adams were shot just before 3:30 a.m. Wednesday following a scuffle in the lot of the fast food joint in Indianapolis, about half a mile from the state Capitol, the Courier Journal reported. They were in Indianapolis for a judicial conference, and there is no evidence that they were targeted because they are judges, the outlet reported.
The duo, as well as other unidentified people, visited several downtown Indianapolis bars and tried to get into one next to the White Castle — possibly the Red Garter Gentleman’s Club — only to find out that it was closed, the paper reported.
The judges were standing outside the fast food joint when a car suddenly pulled up, the occupants got out and words were exchanged before at least one person opened fire, according to the report. The suspects’ car quickly took off after the shooting, police told the outlet.
Jacobs was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis in critical condition, according to spokesman Tom Surber. Adams was taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital, where he was in stable condition and spoke to detectives, according to the report.
Police confirmed that the judges did not know who attacked them, but would not release any further details about the suspect or suspects.
In a statement through the Indiana Supreme Court, Clark County Presiding Judge Vicki Carmichael told the outlet that she’d spoken with the other judges who were with Adams and Jacobs, and was told that “certain reports circulating about the event are inaccurate.”
She didn’t identify the other judges with the pair, and declined to comment further.
Both men were elected in 2014, and attorneys told the outlet they were held in high regard.
“I just left court and everyone is in shock,” said attorney Logan Sims, who practices in Louisville, Ky., and southern Indiana. “This is just terrible.”