A misunderstanding over a woman led to an incident of battery then gunfire last Sunday night in Linton. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the suspected shooter on three felony counts and the shootee is being summoned to appear in court on a misdemeanor.

Brandon Ray Frye, age 31, of Linton, is the suspected shooter.

After a criminal case was filed against him today, Thursday, May 23, a warrant was promptly issued for his arrest on these preliminary charges:

• Aggravated battery – assault poses a substantial risk of death, a Level 3 felony,

• Battery by means of a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony, and

• Pointing a firearm at another person, a Level 6 felony.

Jamie Lawrence Bradford, age 42, of Freetown, Ind., was allegedly shot by Frye after Bradford slapped Frye in the face.

Bradford is being summoned to appear in court in July on a preliminary charge of battery, a Class B misdemeanor.

The incident occurred at Frye’s residence in Linton on Sunday, May 19.

Detective Paul Clark of the Linton Police Department, the lead investigator, was dispatched around 8:47 p.m. that night to Greene County General Hospital after LPD Dispatch got a call from the hospital saying they were treating a man with a gunshot wound. The victim was Bradford, who had driven himself to the emergency room after he had been shot in the chest.

Det. Clark was able to conduct an initial interview with Bradford in the emergency room before he was transferred to Regional Hospital in Terre Haute.  

Det. Clark said Bradford told him and LPD Officer Joe Riley that he’d been in an altercation with Frye and that he had “slapped the boy.”  Bradford said Frye then went into his house, came back out with a rifle and shot him.

Bradford was later interviewed by LPD Officers Orry Phipps and John Agan at the Terre Haute hospital then by Det. Clark at the police department after Bradford was released.

Bradford was shot with a Marlin 10-22 .22 caliber rifle at a distance of 10-12 yards. The bullet entered his right chest, traveled along his rib cage then exited near the right side of his torso. He had limited use of his right arm when Det. Clark interviewed him at the police department and a few days later said he still had limited movement of his arm and shoulder along with pressure in his chest.

After first talking to Bradford in the ER after the shooting, Det. Clark went to Frye’s residence and saw Frye pushing a dirt bike in the back yard. Thinking Frye might attempt to flee, Det. Clark detained Frye. He was transported then interviewed by Det. Clark at the Linton Police Department.

According to Clark, Frye said he had recently accused the woman he lives with of having an affair with Bradford. Frye said he had texted Bradford a few days earlier and asked him if he was having the affair which Bradford denied.

Frye told Clark he was outside that Sunday evening working on a dirt bike when Bradford came to his residence, parked in the alleyway, then got out of his vehicle. He said the two made small talk and then Bradford slapped him with an open hand across the left side of his face. Frye then went inside and got his rifle and inserted a loaded magazine before he went back outside and ordered Bradford to leave.  

In a probable cause affidavit prepared by Det. Clark, Clark indicates that Frye’s story up to this point is consistent with what was recorded on video surveillance cameras at Frye’s residence but after this point, Frye’s story does not match up with what officers viewed on the footage.

Frye allegedly said Bradford made a threatening posture toward him and was challenging him. Frye said he then chambered a round as Bradford continued to challenge him with provoking statements. Frye alleges that when Bradford began walking towards him, he pointed the gun at Bradford and fired.

According to Det. Clark, the video shows that when Frye came out of his house, he walked to the edge of his porch, pointing the gun at Bradford who did not make any movement toward Frye at all and appeared to be standing in a non-confrontational posture. Frye then begins to yell at Bradford, raises the rifle and fires. Bradford flinched, grabbed his torso, turned, walked to his truck, got in the truck and then drove away.

Further, Clark said Bradford was in the alleyway when he was shot, not on Frye’s property.

There were other individuals present inside the house when the shooting occurred, including the woman who lives with Frye and their three children. Another woman arrived at the residence after the shooting.

Det. Clark asserts that at no time between the time that Frye shot Bradford and the time police arrived at the residence did Frye make any attempt to call for help. Despite leaving the residence several times and returning each time, he did not notify police or call emergency services.

The video surveillance system in the residence that was found by officers is reported to have recorded Frye’s action inside the house when he retrieved the rifle and after the shooting when he unloaded then reloaded the rifle and wiped it down. It also recorded both Frye’s and Bradford’s actions during the incident outside the house.