Two people have been arrested and charged with the murder of a Vandalia man.
Christopher D. Brickey, 18, Laddonia, has been arrested and charged with armed criminal action and first-degree …
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Two people have been arrested and charged with the murder of a Vandalia man.
Christopher D. Brickey, 24, Laddonia, has been arrested and charged with armed criminal action and first-degree murder in the shooting death of Matthew Stewart, 24, on Thursday, Nov. 30. The alleged shooting occurred on a rural county road near Vandalia.
A second defendant has been arrested but no details are available because the suspect is a juvenile, although there is an upcoming court hearing to determine if the juvenile can be tried as an adult.
According to court documents, investigators interviewed a witness who shared the same residence with the victim. That person told authorities the two suspects showed up to their house for what the witness believed to be a firearm sale by the victim to the suspects. The witness told investigators the three left together to, “range test” the weapon before the sale was to be completed.
The witness went on to tell investigators they left the residence and a short time later placed a call to the victim's cell phone. The witness said Stewart answered his phone and said, “They shot me.” The witness said they heard additional gunshots before losing contact with the victim.
Two other witnesses also spoke to police and said they saw two men with the description of the two defendants at the victim's residence before police found Stewart. The two witnesses also described the vehicle Brickey and the other alleged shooter were driving.
A few hours later investigators were able to locate the two suspects at a residence in Paris, Monroe County, and both were taken into custody.
Brickey spoke with investigators and told them the reason for the encounter was not a gun sale but to settle a dispute between the juvenile and the victim. Brickey told police the juvenile told him they wanted to shoot Stewart but wanted Brickey to fire the first shot. The first witness told police both men had guns with them when they arrived at the victim’s residence.
Brickey told police he shot Stewart but he did not fall and began running away and at that point, both defendants opened fire on the victim as he attempted to flee.
Brickey is scheduled to be in court on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
