Evansville, Indiana - 5 Injured, Suspected Gunman John Perteet Arrested in Shooting Outside of Sidetrack Tavern

3 in Police Custody Following Shooting at Sidetrack Tavern

Three people are in police custody after five were injured in a shooting outside of Sidetrack Tavern in Evansville early Sunday morning.

An Evansville Police officer was in the area of the bar and heard gunshots shortly after 3 a.m. on Sunday. He immediately responded and saw several people gathered together near a vehicle. One man was walking toward the vehicle and sped up as the officer approached. He got inside of the vehicle and another man then ran up to the vehicle and began banging on the window.

The officer pulled out his firearm and ordered the driver of this vehicle to stop, but the driver fled the scene. The officer then gave a description of the vehicle to responding officers and stayed at the scene.

The vehicle was eventually found near Garvin and Franklin. Police tried to pull the car over, but the driver sped away again. After a short chase, the vehicle was stopped and three people inside were brought into custody. Officers recovered a firearm which is believed to have been used in the shooting and this will be tested.

Five people suffered gunshot wounds and all are expected to survive. The alleged gunman has been identified as 32-year-old John Perteet. 49-year-old Terry Ealum was driving the vehicle and also arrested on a charge of resisting law enforcement for fleeing the scene.

The third man arrested was the one banging on the vehicle when the officer responded to the scene. He went past crime scene tape to get his keys even though officers were telling him not to.

Legal Options for Bar Shooting Victims and Their Families

Attorney contributor and shooting victim lawyer Jeff Gibson represents the victims of preventable bar shootings in civil lawsuits, helping them and their families recover the financial compensation they deserve. Here are a few of his thoughts on the legal options available to these victims and families:

Owning property comes with many important responsibilities, but perhaps none more important than making sure the property is free of dangers that could end up causing injuries, illnesses, or death. Protections against foreseeable violent crime are part of this legal duty to public safety. It’s important to determine if the property owner met this legal duty when a shooting, stabbing, or another violent incident happens at a bar or nightclub.

In some bar shooting cases, the shooting may have been preventable if it weren’t for inadequate security or another form of property owner negligence. In order for a property owner to be held liable for a shooting, the victim’s lawyers will likely need to establish a prior history of violence at the bar and a failure to address this violence with security improvements.

Have you or a loved one become a victim of a nightclub or bar shooting? You may have grounds for a lawsuit against the property owner for failing to keep their premises safe. Consider speaking to an experienced crime victim attorney to learn more about your family’s legal options.