Teen accused in Vanderburgh County double shooting arrested, arraigned from hospital

EVANSVILLE — More than three weeks after police accused 18-year-old Austin Ousley of shooting two men, one of them fatally, inside a Vanderburgh County farmhouse, detectives arrested him at the Indianapolis hospital where he was receiving treatment for a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A Vanderburgh County judge issued a warrant for Ousley's arrest March 15, the same day prosecutors formally charged him with murder and attempted murder in connection with the double shooting that killed 36-year-old Shawn Wildt and left Shawn's brother, 42-year-old Chad Wildt, gravely injured.

According to Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson, the brothers travelled to a family-owned farmhouse at 5100 Cypress Dale Road to investigate a series of trespassing incidents on Feb. 27 when they encountered Ousley, who was inside with a 17-year-old friend.

The second teenager remains publicly unidentified, but Vanderburgh County prosecutors said he pleaded guilty in juvenile court to trespassing charges in March.

Affidavit:Teen charged in double shooting said he 'killed 2 people'

In a 911 call the 17-year-old placed about 10 minutes after the shooting, he said he and Ousley came to what they thought was an abandoned house to "take pictures." The Wildts eventually showed up and an "altercation ensued," the juvenile said.

According to a sworn affidavit of probable cause filed in support of Ousley's charges, detectives claimed he sent Snapchat messages after the shooting saying he "killed two guys" while "trespassing."

Whether sheriff's deputies could arrest Ousley remained an open question for weeks, even after Vanderburgh County Superior Court Judge Robert J. Pigman signed a warrant for his arrest. According to Robinson, Ousley incurred "severe brain damage" from a failed attempt to take his own life in the hours after the shooting.

"The sheriff’s office has been monitoring Ousley’s condition," Robinson wrote in a news release. "While initially in critical condition and on a ventilator, Ousley's recovery has progressed sufficiently to necessitate him being taken into custody."

Pigman and Vanderburgh County prosecutors conducted a "remote video arraignment" with Ousley Wednesday as he lay hospitalized in Indianapolis, Robinson said.

Ousley's defense attorney, Christian Lenn, asked the court to prohibit detectives from interviewing Ousley, court records show, and he objected to prosecutors' request to transfer Ousley to a "Department of Corrections Medical Facility."

'Shattered forever':Here's how a fatal Vanderburgh County shooting reportedly unfolded

Pigman overruled the objection and ordered Ousley to be held without bond. Robinson said Ousley was being "guarded" by the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Ousley is scheduled to appear in Vanderburgh County Superior Court May 1 at 10 a.m. for a review hearing. The sheriff's office has not publicly described the extent of Ousley's reported recovery in detail.

Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com