Indiana 6-year-old helped critically shot father call 911 after robbers ambushed car and killed his mother
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: A woman died and her husband suffered severe wounds after two men allegedly robbed them and shot them on Thursday, September 17, police said. Wilma and Jonathan Hochstetler were shot during a roadside ambush while their six-year-old son, Bradon, hid in a vehicle. Jonathan was shot in the neck, but he somehow managed to get into his vehicle where Bradon was hiding. The child helped call 911 as reports said he grabbed the phone and gave it to his dad after which cops were called. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Samone Burris said cops found the victims on Thursday afternoon near the 3000 block of North High School Road. While Wilma was declared dead at the scene, Jonathan was rushed to hospital where he underwent surgery after he suffered broken bones in his neck and jaw, The Sun reported.
Jonathan's father, Sam Hochstetler, told IndyStar that his son is an owner of a roofing and gutter company and was working at a site on the west side of Indianapolis a day before the incident. Since a tire on his trailer had burst, he sent two workers with the truck to Worthington, not very far from Indianapolis. To help Jonathan, Wilma then went to the site with the truck, a spare trailer tire, and their son Bradon. "It got after midnight. They fixed the tire, they’re ready to leave and then the running lights of the trailer didn’t work,” Sam said. Andrew Yutzy, family friend of Hochstetlers, told WLOX, “At that time, two individuals walked up on them. Wilma saw them coming and yelled to Jonathan, but it was too late. They robbed them of Wilma’s phone and both of their wallets and were walking away, and they turned around and came back and just point-blank shot Wilma and then Jonathan.”
He added: “I guess, as a 6-year-old boy, you don’t realize what really happened. He said: ‘Mom’s gonna get up again.’ He doesn’t realize that his mom is gone.” While Sam stated that his grandson said, "'I wish they didn’t shoot my mommy' as soon as he got home. (But I think) he is still oblivious to what happened." After the incident, Bradon was initially being taken care of by the Child Protective Services. But now, he has been placed under the care of relatives. Apart from him, Wilma and Jonathan also have three kids, aged 10, 13, and 16. Reports stated that though police have not released any description of the suspects, they urged anyone with information to call the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 or (TIPS).
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page has been launched for the devastated family. The message on the page read: “Wilma has passed away and Jonathan is at the hospital and expected to survive. We can’t imagine the devastation. Please lift them up in prayers. The go fund me will be used to help with funeral and recovery funds. Life will never be the same and this is a small way to help them. They have 3 daughters and the youngest child is a son. So please keep Jonathan and the 4 children in your prayers!”
At the time of writing this article, the page has raised $136,130 of its $150,000 goal.