Staff Report

Jonathan David Mast

MILFORD — An Elkhart man faces three felony charges after allegedly shooting a man in the leg during a verbal argument.

Jonathan David Mast, 38, 30404 Old US 20, Elkhart, is charged with aggravated battery, a level 3 felony; and criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon and intimidation with a deadly weapon, both level 5 felonies.

On Feb. 13, a Milford Police detective responded to a report of a shooting at a home on South James Street.

Upon arrival at the scene, law enforcement found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to his left leg. The man received emergency medical care at the scene and was taken to an Elkhart hospital for further treatment.

According to court documents, the man sustained extensive damage to his left femur, which required surgery to repair it on Feb. 14. The surgery to repair damage to the man’s shattered femur was completed on Feb. 14, but the bullet could not be removed due to its proximity to an artery.

The detective spoke with a woman who said she and the victim were at a home to visit relatives. She said two unknown men were on the home’s front porch’s steps when the men stepped off the porch. The woman then heard a gunshot and saw the victim fall to the ground.

The detective then spoke with a man who said he was in a relationship with a woman who resided at the home. He said the woman had previously been in a relationship with Mast, who had been texting him about picking up the woman and bringing her to a location in Elkhart. The man and woman said they were dropped off at the residence by friends, and saw that Mast and another man were in a vehicle at the home.

Mast allegedly entered a verbal argument with the woman and said he had a gun, later displaying the firearm. Mast left the home, then returned and got into a verbal argument with the woman’s boyfriend. According to the boyfriend, the man who was shot arrived and told Mast to leave. After shooting the man, Mast returned to a vehicle by the road and fired a second shot toward the home.

The detective spoke with the girlfriend, who said she heard two gunshots but did not witness the shooting.

Mast fled the scene but was later apprehended in Elkhart County. He admitted to having verbal arguments with his former girlfriend and her boyfriend. Mast told officers he shot the victim because he had a knife and was acting aggressive. He also said the woman’s boyfriend had a baseball bat during the incident. Mast said he fired a second shot into the home and disposed of the firearm while driving back to Elkhart.

The woman who went to the home with the victim said the victim was not displaying a knife at the time of the incident. The detective also noticed a bullet hole in the residence on the porch roof above the area the group would have been standing in.

Mast was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on Feb. 13, with a $21,000 surety and cash bond.

As part of his bond conditions, Mast cannot leave the state of Indiana and must surrender all firearms in his possession or under his control.