Investigators say Downtown shooting stemmed from dispute over $100 bill

EVANSVILLE — A suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with a July shooting that allegedly stemmed from a dispute over a $100 bill.

Trevon Anthony Brown, 25, has been charged with attempted murder, a Level 1 felony, for allegedly shooting a man in the head in Downtown Evansville.

Around 3:20 a.m. on July 19, central dispatch received a call stating a man had been shot near 201 S. Fulton Ave. The caller told dispatchers there was "blood everywhere," according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Brown's case.

Officers with the Evansville Police Department quickly located the victim, who is identified by police as Aaron Plocik, near the intersection of Ohio Street and Fulton Avenue. But the shooter was nowhere to be found, police said.

Original Story:Downtown Evansville shooting leaves one person injured

According to the sworn affidavit, Plocik was found on the west side of Riverside Drive – between the Xcess Nightclub and the LST 325 memorial – lying underneath his bicycle and bleeding profusely. Plocik was awake and able to speak with detectives, but he could not recall the circumstances surrounding the shooting, police said.

A witness reportedly told detectives they'd seen the victim arguing with a Black male who appeared to be wearing "some form of a ski mask" prior to the shooting, the affidavit states. That witness also told detectives the man in the ski mask had a handgun, and as they walked past the two men, they saw the victim attempting to walk away.

According to the affidavit, the witness told detectives they heard a gunshot minutes later. When they turned around, they saw the victim "fall to the ground and the Black male running to the south on Northwest Riverside Drive."

Crime scene investigators said they recovered a handgun and two shell casings from the scene.

After he was released from the hospital, detectives interviewed Plocik at his home, according to the affidavit. He reportedly told them that prior to the shooting, he'd found a $100 bill on the ground. As Plocik picked up the money and began to walk away, Brown allegedly began to follow him, claiming the $100 bill belonged to him.

According to the sworn affidavit, Plocik told detectives the suspect – who he could not identify at the time – put on a ski mask, pulled out a handgun, and then struck him in the face. As he attempted to ride away on his bicycle, Plocik said he was shot in the back of the head.

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Detectives said they recovered surveillance footage from Xcess Nightclub that showed Plocik speaking to the suspect, who is then seen following him across Riverside Drive and out of the camera's field of view.

On Aug. 14, police said Brown was identified as the shooter through a photo lineup.

The Courier & Press left a message with an Evansville Police Department spokesperson seeking more information about Brown's arrest.

Brown made an initial appearance in Vanderburgh County Superior Court Tuesday and according to records, Judge Robert J. Pigman set his bond at $150,000.

Houston Harwood can be contacted at walter.harwood@courierpress.com with story ideas and questions. Twitter: @houston_whh