WISH-TV’s Kevin Hankins was shooting video at a house fire in Indianapolis early Friday morning when he was hit by a shot from a pellet gun (not a .22 bullet as police originally believed). A freelance photographer at the scene was also hit, as was the breathing tank of a firefighter. Hankins was hit in the back and the freelancer in the arm. Both photographers were taken to a hospital and released after treatment.
A few hours later police arrested Derek Matthews, who had been staying at a house across the street, and announced that he had confessed to the shooting. In a report posted on the WISH website, Hankins said he’d had words with Matthews before the shooting began.
"He was like ‘Stuff happened over by my house on this street a couple of weeks ago. You guys should’ve came here…You’re on my sidewalk.’…I’m like ‘It’s a public street. I’m sorry, I need to do my job’," said Hankins. "I just walked away from him and never saw him again," he added.
