On Saturday night, a shooting occurred at Pokagon State Park, resulting in the hospitalization of two adults and one child in Steuben County, Indiana.
Steuben Superior Court documents reveal that the individual who allegedly discharged the firearm was also the person who contacted emergency services via 911 following the incident.
Sgt. Patrick Heidenreich, a Conservation Officer in Indiana, received a 911 call at approximately 10:45 p.m. reporting gunshots at Pokagon State Park, close to the toboggan run. The park was bustling with a significant crowd that had gathered there to watch a fireworks show at the time.
According to Heidenreich, the officers were able to establish that two men were involved in a physical altercation. It was reported that one of the men fired a shot and wounded the other in the leg. The victim was immediately airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital and is currently in serious condition.
According to Heidenreich, the individuals who were struck by the fragments of the bullet had no connection whatsoever with the two men who were engaged in the altercation.
According to WANE 15, the shooting led to the arrest of a Fort Wayne resident by Steuben’s Chief Deputy Sheriff Michael Meeks. The culprit, identified as Maung Okker Aung, 25, was charged with battery with a deadly weapon, a level 5 felony, and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, a level 6 felony.
Witnesses and those involved had varying accounts of how the altercation started.
Based on records from the court, the officers were initially informed that the altercation began when one man accidentally collided with the other while on a trail.
Aung’s account
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During the police interview, Aung recounted that he and his girlfriend were strolling on a narrow trail along with a crowd of people after the fireworks. Aung noticed that the two individuals directly in front of them were vaping. Apparently, the smoke was blowing in their faces, and Aung, who suffers from asthma, politely asked the vapers to stand behind him if they were going to continue vaping. This incident was documented in court papers.
According to court documents, Aung reported to the police that the individuals smoking did end up standing behind him, but they expressed dissatisfaction about it.
Aung confronted the man, asking him what he was going to do about the situation. The man responded by abruptly swinging at Aung and striking him with three punches, as stated in the court documents.
According to court documents, Aung recounted to the police how he was hit by his attackers and was initially stunned. He believed that it was just a momentary outburst of anger, but his assailants hit him again, causing him to take out his weapon from his bag. Aung wanted to stop them and protect himself, so he brandished his firearm and warned them to back off. However, they continued to attack him, which left him with no choice but to defend himself by shooting them.
During the police interview, he explained that he had fired multiple shots because he believed the man would continue to attack him. Furthermore, he stated that he did not notice anyone else in the vicinity carrying a weapon, including the individual whom he claimed to have shot in self-defense.
According to court documents, Aung holstered his 9mm Glock clone and immediately called 911. He stayed on the phone and followed the instructions of the dispatchers. Afterwards, he surrendered to the police by handing his firearm over to his girlfriend and raising his hands in compliance, as stated in the court documents.
Witness accounts
According to a witness who spoke with the police, Aung had forcefully bumped into a man who was vaping as he walked by during the initial altercation. The witness added that Aung then squared up with the man and pushed him, instead of the other man being the one to start the fight. The witness further stated that they did not witness the man hitting Aung and that the entire incident lasted for less than a minute, as per the court documents.
According to another witness who spoke to the police, the man who was later shot had initiated the physical altercation by striking Aung first. They stated that while they did not observe Aung firing the shots, it was impossible for anyone else in the vicinity to have done so.
Shooting victim’s account
Upon arriving at the hospital, the police interviewed the victim of the shooting. According to the victim, Aung did not make any physical contact with him as he walked past to get through the smoke. However, the victim did advise Aung to walk faster if he was not satisfied with the pace. Allegedly, Aung turned back around and abruptly stopped, causing the victim to bump into him. As a result, the victim claimed that Aung pushed him.
According to court documents, the man admitted to police that he had punched Aung multiple times as a result of an “immediate and natural reaction”.
As per the records of the court, the man disclosed that he had attended a gathering at a cabin in the park where he had smoked cannabis. Following the incident, he was requested to smoke outside, and subsequently, he started walking on the trail.
In his statement to the police, he mentioned that he had a gun with him on the night of the incident, but unfortunately lost it somewhere on the trail while running towards the wooded area after being shot. As per the court documents, the man admitted that he never considered reaching for his gun during the altercation.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has reported that Aung has been taken into custody and is currently being held at the Steuben County Jail.
According to Heidenreich, the shooting incident was an isolated one, and there is no need to worry about further threats. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is taking the lead role in the investigation, with assistance from the Indiana State Police and the Steuben County Sheriff’s Department.
Other witnesses
On Monday, WANE 15 interviewed two witnesses to the shooting incident. According to Chrissy Herman, who was present at Pokagon with her boyfriend Christian Baez and her 12-year-old daughter, she saw the whole incident unfold.
As they were strolling along the path near the Toboggan Run after the fireworks display, she heard what sounded like three gunshots.
As soon as Baez noticed the shooting victim, he sprang into action and rushed to his aid along with an off-duty first responder. Together, they located him in a wooded area approximately ten feet away from the trail.
According to WANE 15, Baez recounted that Aung arrived at the scene and confessed to being the shooter, adding that he had no intention of firing at the man again.
Baez reported that Aung claimed to have shot the man in self-defense after being physically assaulted.
As Herman stood amidst the sea of people, he observed them all walking in the same direction. They were all trying to comfort his daughter who was visibly upset.
As soon as she heard those words, tears started streaming down her face. Christian rushed over to help, but I was at a loss, shouting at him in desperation. She refused to let go of me and it was a terrible sight. At the young age of 12, she was understandably worried and traumatized. In fact, she even swore she’d never go camping again, recalls Herman.
The presence of Aung with a loaded gun among a crowd of people was a cause of concern for her.
“It’s terrifying to think that the guy didn’t have any thoughts in his head when he pulled out the gun and shot the victim,” she expressed with concern.