On May 15, around 7:00 p.m., the Evansville Police Department (E.P.D.) was called to the 1100 block of N.Boeke for a person with a gun. The caller, who lived at the address, advised Central Dispatch that a male was in his residence with a gun. Dispatch could hear yelling and screaming in the background while speaking with the caller.
The caller then dropped the phone, but the line was still open. The dispatcher could hear a gunshot in the background along with a scuffle.
When officers arrived they found a male that had been shot in the abdomen. He was quickly rushed to a local hospital to receive treatment for his wounds. They also were able to locate the shooter, Kristian Isaiah Clay(30), who was still on scene outside the residence.
After separating all the involved parties E.P.D. Detectives were able to figure out that Clay was with a group of people who had been making threats to the victim over a money dispute. They had been sending threateningtext messages for non-payment of a washing machine.
When Clay, along with two carloads of people, showed up at the victim’s address he immediately knew they were going to assault him. Fearing for his life, the victim ran inside his duplex and grabbed a long kitchen knife for protection then called 911.
While speaking with the 911 operator, Clay drew his weapon on the victim and told him to drop the knife.After he dropped the knife, Clay began to strike the victim. A third party, who lived in an adjoining duplex,heard the struggle and attempted to stop Clay. In doing so, he was shot in the abdomen.
Despite his claims of self-defense, Clay was arrested and transported to the Vanderburgh County Corrections Center. He is being charged with Battery with a Deadly Weapon.
The third party victim who was shot in the abdomen is expected to survive his injuries. The intended victim suffered a broken nose.
