GARY—Richard Davis had been shot once, and was running from his assailant when he was wounded for a second time.
Davis, 51, survived and provided police with a detailed account of the incident that left him wounded and Tiffani Murphy, 38, dead. Police say Murphy was an innocent victim. Davis said he knew the shooter as “Romeo,” and chose Jaquan Richards out of a photo lineup, court records state.
Richards, 32, a resident of Delaney Community Housing Development, is charged with murder and attempted murder. An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday afternoon and he will be held without bail, court records show.
Murphy was shot while she was visiting with her boyfriend, her sister and her sister’s child, among others, police said. She lived for about 12 hours at the hospital before she died from the gunshot wound to her hip, the affidavit states.
March 14 was a warm, early spring day and Murphy was outside her Dorie Miller Housing Development home in the 1800 block of East 20th Court when Richards confronted Davis with a handgun. Davis told Detective Cpl. James Nielsen he had gone to Dorie Miller to buy marijuana and was leaving when Richards pushed a gun against his head and said, “I got you,” the probable cause affidavit states.
Davis and Richards have had an ongoing dispute, the affidavit states.
Davis said he tried to push the gun away and it fired, striking him in the hand. He tried to shoot at Davis, but his hand injury prevented him from firing, the affidavit states. Davis said he ran and heard more shots and was struck in the side.
In the meantime, Murphy’s sister was attempting to hurry her child indoors when Murphy’s boyfriend shouted that Murphy had been shot, polie said. Adults at the scene drove Murphy to the Methodist Hospitals Northlake campus, where she died about 12 hours later.