A man was convicted of attempted murder after shooting a state trooper in the head and fleeing the scene. However, the man showed no remorse and instead went on to complain about his sentence, despite the judge only ordering house arrest.
Indiana State Trooper Morgenn Evans has no idea that it would end with a gunshot to the head while pulling over a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado pickup for a simple traffic violation.
According to Fox News, the officer conducted a field sobriety test after interviewing the driver and developing a suspicion that Oscar Kays, 79, was intoxicated. The elderly driver then became combative, as Evans attempted to handcuff Kays after he displayed overt signs of intoxication so that he could be taken in for a legitimate chemical test.
But with a .22 caliber revolver, Kays fired at Trooper Evans hitting the officer in the head, Evans was then rushed to a nearby hospital, and by some miracle; Evans only suffered a minor head wound from the bullet’s graze on his forehead. However, Kays ultimately escaped, although the officer managed to return fire and briefly pursue the suspect, who fled in his pickup.
Rapid action led to the suspect’s quick capture at his Jeffersonville home, where he was then charged with attempted murder, aggravated violence, and resisting arrest. The old man was handed the deal of a lifetime after being found guilty of attempting to murder a police officer and displaying no remorse.
A Clark County court found Kays guilty of attempted murder and sentenced her to 25 years of home confinement. Even though he avoided a lengthy prison term, Kays disagreed with the decision, claiming that getting to serve it out in the comfort of his own home did not constitute a “break,” according to WAVE.
Kays said, “I never got no break, I don’t think.”
His attorney, Brian Butler, asserted that Kays never planned to kill Evans and merely wanted to get home while Kays argued again that when he shot Trooper Evans, “It was self-defense.” His attorney accused Trooper Evans of using “more force than he should have,” as Kays claimed that he feared for his life during the traffic stop. Butler also alleged that his client suffers from “dementia and mental illness.”
He said, “Oscar acted under dementia and mental illness, and we got that. I think that’s important because it differentiates why this happened, and it was not just an evil man that had a desire to murder a state trooper. This was a man that had lived a very good life and tragically, things have deteriorated mentally for him which led to an awful situation and terrible event for the trooper.”
For the rest of his life, Kays will be confined to his house and subject to regular checks for firearms because, as a convicted criminal, he is not allowed to own any. And despite his lenient sentence, he still doesn’t like his punishment, though.
Evans claims that he has forgiven Kays and just wants to get on with his life after almost dying at the hands of the angry driver. Due to injuries he sustained while serving, the trooper—a Purple Heart recipient—was medically dismissed from the Marines.
However, the only emotion Kays‘ expressed was dissatisfaction with his sentence; and still hasn’t shown any remorse for nearly killing Evans, and he continues to insist that he was the victim.
Evans, who miraculously survived that night, has bravely avoided harboring resentment toward the person who intended to kill him. Sadly, for many men and women who work in law enforcement, this is the situation.
Watch the video below for more details:
Sources: TapHaps, WAVE , Fox News