Gary, Indiana

From the Merrillville Post-Tribune of April 11, 2006

Charges filed in convenience-store shooting

George Lebron faces a lengthy recovery from the broken bones and internal injuries he suffered when he crashed his car Tuesday night.

He also faces a lengthy jail term if convicted of firing shots into a convenience store while the security guard, owner and her two young children were inside.

Lebron, 44, of Gary was charged Monday in Lake Superior Court in Crown Point with attempted murder, aggravated battery and four counts of criminal recklessness stemming from an incident at One Stop Food Mart at 45th Avenue and Harrison Street, Detective Sgt. William Fazekas said.

No one in the store was wounded when the man started shooting because the store was closing and he couldn’t go inside, Fazekas said.

As the guard returned fire, a Merrillville woman driving by was shot in the chest, police said.

Judith Winfield, 40, of Merrillville “has undergone extensive surgery and is scheduled to undergo further extensive reconstructive surgery,” the probable cause affidavit states.

The man fled from the scene and crashed his car at 57th Avenue and Broadway in Merrillville minutes later, police said. When Merrillville police arrived, they found Lebron behind the wheel “highly intoxicated and seriously injured,” the affidavit states.

Lebron remains hospitalized with numerous injuries.

Fazekas said when a ballistics report is completed, police will know who shot Winfield. The security guard will not be charged because prosecutors determined he was firing in self defense.