Pizza deliveryman won't be charged
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A pizza deliveryman who killed an armed man who was trying to rob him will not face criminal charges, the Marion County Prosecutor's office announced today.
"It's a clear case of self-defense," Deputy Prosecutor Barb Crawford said. "He did what the law allows him to do to protect himself."
Ronald B. Honeycutt, 38, Carmel, shot Jerome Brown-Dancler, 20, 9500 block of East 39th Place, more than a dozen times on May 17.
The evidence shows that Brown-Dancler pointed a 9mm handgun at Honeycutt, who had had just finished making a delivery about 11 p.m. in the 3600 block of Long Wharf Drive on the Far Eastside.
Brown-Dancler's gun was loaded with 14 rounds, but had no bullet in the chamber, Crawford said. Honeycutt produced his own 9mm and fired until it was empty.
After the shooting, Honeycutt told The Star he was just getting into his van when Brown-Dancler appeared to go for a gun.
Honeycutt kept shooting after the would-be robber hit the ground, evidence shows. He took the man's gun, fearing it might be stolen if it was left with the body. He got in his van, drove to the Pizza Hut Restaurant where he worked and told his manager to call police, Crawford said.
"This was late at night. This was a high-crime area," Crawford said. "He left because he wasn't sure whether or not Brown-Dancler had any friends with him. As it turns out, he did indeed have friends with him. They left when they heard shots fired."
Police found both guns in Honeycutt's van.
Honeycutt says he fired 15 shots, but Crawford said the medical evidence cannot determine how many times Brown-Dancler was hit. The evidence shows only that he was shot more than 10 but less than 15 times, Crawford said.
Honeycutt said he was fired from his job at Pizza Hut because he had violated the firm's policy against carrying a gun.
