Pulaski County Prosecutor Kelly Gaumer announced that a jury found Kenneth D. Ketcham guilty of Attempted Murder, along with additional charges of Criminal Recklessness and Pointing a Firearm, following a July 3, 2023 shooting in Monterey.
What started as an Independence Day celebration ended in a night of terror when Pulaski County Dispatch received two 911 calls, the first report of a victim’s truck being shot at while being driven on Walnut Street with four people inside and the second repot of a man pointing a gun at another victim less than a block away. Both on-duty and off-duty deputies from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department responded. Deputies Matt Scott was the first on the scene and saw a bullet ricochet mark on the truck’s hood and two bullet holes in the passenger side of the truck. The victim from the second 911 call identified Ketcham as the man who pointed a gun at the victim.
When Deputy Scott and Deputy Andrew Speer located Ketcham at his home, he ignored their commands and walked toward three rifles in the bed of his truck. Deputies had to taze Ketcham to stop him. One of the rifles, a loaded .308, was jammed. A search of his home later uncovered a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun on his kitchen table.
Deputies also recovered three spent shell casings near the post office where the shooting had occurred, which the Indiana State Police Laboratory later confirmed had been fired from Ketcham’s handgun.
At trial, Ketcham claimed he was too intoxicated to form intent, but the jury rejected that defense and found him guilty on all charges.
“This case shows how quickly gun violence can shatter what should have been a night of celebration,” said Prosecutor Gaumer who tried the case. “I am grateful to brave witnesses who came forward and the dedicated deputies responding when they did, so justice was served.”
Sentencing is scheduled for May 20th, 2025. Ketcham faces up to 60 years in prison.
