NEW PALESTINE — A New Palestine man is facing attempted murder and other charges from a road rage shooting incident in late May that sent another man to the hospital with a gunshot wound.
Officials from the Indiana State Police Detectives sent out a press release late Sunday night, saying they had arrested Stephen Uppfalt, 52, New Palestine in connection with the shooting. Uppfalt has been charged with a Level 1 felony count of attempted murder, a Level 5 felony count of battery with a deadly weapon and two different counts of a Level 5 felony charge of criminal recklessness where the defendant shoots a firearm into a building.
Uppfalt turned himself into troopers at an Indiana State Police Post on June 10 after learning a warrant had been issued for his arrest, officials said.
Indiana State Police Detectives identified Uppfalt as the suspect in the case which happened May 21 on I-465 through investigative measures. They then built probable cause to apply for search warrants and subsequently obtained an arrest warrant.
A Marion County Judge issued a warrant on the charges late last week. According to court records, the case was opened June 8 when Magistrate Ross Anderson issued the arrest warrant and put a no contact order in place. A surety bond of $100,000 was set in the case. Court records noted Anderson had already entered a check to the clerk’s office for the bond and would be released as part of the pre-trial release program. Uppfalt was set to have an initial appearance in Marion County Superior Court 26 on June 12 in front of Judge Angela Dow Davis, court records stated.
The original press release by the Indiana State Police came back in May and noted that Indiana State Troopers were investigating a road rage incident that led to gunfire on I-465 near Brookville Road. They stated at the time that at approximately 4:15 p.m. May 21, Indiana State Police Dispatchers received a 911 call reporting a person inside a vehicle being shot.
The victim was the driver of a white Kia and had exited the interstate before other occupants in the car called 911. When troopers arrived, they found a 19-year-old man with an injury consistent with a gunshot wound. The victim was originally the driver of the Kia. However, after the shooting, another person in the vehicle got into the driver’s seat to drive the victim to the hospital. First responders were able to get to the Kia before it arrived at a hospital. There were no other injuries reported by anyone inside the Kia. The victim was transported to a local hospital by ambulance and survived the shooting.
Preliminary investigation determined the driver of the Kia was getting onto I-465 when another vehicle pulled along side him, the driver was yelling out the window and swerving toward his vehicle. At some point during the confrontation, the driver of the other vehicle allegedly fired several shots toward the Kia, striking the driver at least once. Uppfalt has been identified by officials as the driver who fired at the Kia.
