INDIANAPOLIS — Court documents say that a Tuesday night altercation on Indianapolis’ north side that began with a cornhole bean bag and heated words quickly escalated to a fatal shooting that left a Fishers man dead.

On Wednesday, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officials announced that Jean Eyongegbe, 25, was arrested in connection to the shooting reported around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot outside Drake’s Restaurant in Keystone, 3740 E. 82nd St.

Upon arrival, police found the victim, a 43-year-old Fishers man, suffering from at least one gunshot wound. The man was taken to St. Vincent Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to court documents.

IndyStar is not identifying the victim, awaiting confirmation from the Marion County Coroner’s Office.

Police at the scene noticed two men standing near a black Ford SUV. One of the men was later identified as Eyongegbe, and witnesses told police that he was the shooter.

Both Eyongegbe and the man he was standing with near the SUV were detained by police.

Witness statements indicate that the shooting happened after several tense moments and a physical altercation between Eyongegbe’s friend and one of the victim’s three friends.

Friends of the victim told police that their group of four, two men and two women, went outside to play cornhole after having a few drinks and playing shuffleboard.

The friends told police that during the cornhole game, Eyongegbe and the man he was with walked out and said something to one of the women. It was unclear what was said, and after the exchange, Eyongegbe and the other man began walking towards the parking lot.

One of the victim’s friends then threw a cornhole bean bag in the direction of Eyongegbe and the other man, court documents said. The bean bag did not strike either of them, but witnesses said it was thrown in their direction so that the friend of the victim “would have an excuse to walk towards the men.”

But Eyongegbe and his friend told police that their interaction with the other group started with someone throwing a bean bag at them, and that neither of them said anything to the women in the group.

Instead, Eyongegbe and his friend both told police that one of the women came up to them and apologized on behalf of the group after the bean bag was thrown at them. They said that during the woman’s apology, the victim’s male friend approached to continue the altercation, court documents said.

More words were exchanged between the two parties as the bean bag was retrieved, and the interaction ended with Eyongegbe and the other man going to their SUV and sitting inside for a few minutes, court documents said.

A short time later, Eyongegbe’s friend exited the truck, took off his shirt and pants and challenged the man who threw the bean bag at him to a fight, court documents said. Eyongegbe, who retrieved his gun from the SUV, stepped out of the vehicle as the fight between the two men escalated.

Court documents said that all of the men eventually were involved in the scuffle, and at one point, Eyongegbe’s gun fell to the ground. Eyongegbe told police that both the victim and the victim’s friend started charging toward him after the weapon fell.

Eyongegbe said he started backing up to where the gun was dropped and yelled for the men to stop, court documents said.

Both Eyongegbe and the other witnesses said that the victim was shot once as he ran towards Eyongegbe. After the shooting, Eyongegbe and his friend went to their SUV and waited for the police to arrive.

Online jail records show that Eyongegbe, who was born in Cameroon, is being held in the Marion County Jail without bond on a preliminary charge of murder. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will make a final charging decision.

Source: IndyStar