ISP investigating homicide in northern Owen County

Thursday, November 3, 2022

CLOVERDALE — Two people are wanted after a shooting left a rural Owen County man dead near his residence Wednesday evening.

Detectives with the Indiana State Police Bloomington District are conducting a death investigation related to the Wednesday evening shooting of Gilardo Garcia Salinas, 39, Cloverdale, who was shot at his residence located in the area of U.S. 231 and North Cataract Road.

The preliminary investigation has revealed that homeowners called 911 about an active home invasion just before 8:15 p.m. Before police arrived, the homeowners allegedly confronted two suspects and an exchange of gunfire between the two parties occurred.

Arriving officers from the Owen County Sheriff’s Department reported having found Garcia Salinas, the homeowner, injured outside of the residence with suspects having fled the area before deputies’ arrival. First aid was provided to Salinas, but the efforts were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Owen County Coroner’s Office.

The family of Garcia Salinas has been notified and an autopsy has been scheduled for Friday in Terre Haute.

There are believed to be two suspects who left in an unknown direction in a gray or blue passenger vehicle. The make and model of the vehicle are unknown. It is also unknown if any suspects were injured.

Investigators have begun to obtain video footage of nearby locations along with following up with additional leads.

It is not believed that the public is in danger, and investigators are looking for any information that the public may have. The public may call the Indiana State Police Bloomington Post with any leads at 812-332-4411 and ask for Detective Ian Matthews.

This remains an active ISP investigation.

The Indiana State Police detectives were assisted by the Owen County Sheriff’s Department, the Owen County Coroner’s Office, Owen County EMS and the Cloverdale Township Volunteer Fire Department.

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    >>It is not believed that the public is in danger...

    I'm sure so many feel overwhelmed by the sense of safety those words create knowing they're being used within the context of a situation where someone's home was broken into at night by armed gunmen who managed to kill someone before escaping and remaining at-large.

    -- Posted by DouglasQuaid on Thu, Nov 3, 2022, at 4:15 PM
  • If you are afraid of being a victim of crime, you are insufficiently prepared. Crime has been a part of human nature for many millennia. It’s no different today than it has been throughout human history. Spend more time preparing yourself and less time listening to talking heads, and then you won’t have to live in fear.

    -- Posted by Koios on Thu, Nov 3, 2022, at 7:47 PM
  • Hopefully their next home invasion will be at the home of someone who is properly prepared to send them in a different direction.

    -- Posted by techphcy on Thu, Nov 3, 2022, at 7:53 PM
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    I'm going to guess that this was not some random targeting of the victim.

    While home invasions can be random, it is more usual that there is some connection, however tenuous, between the victim and the perpetrator.

    Home invasion is a high risk crime. Mostly necessitates high reward. (In the perpetrator's estimation, not ours.) They were likely after someone or something in particular.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Sun, Nov 6, 2022, at 11:09 PM
  • Koios- great chance to educate us- What do you do to stay prepared? Carry a gun? What makes up your crime prevention pack? Do you have it readily available at all times?

    I am not be silly here. Your very emphatic in your statement so assuming you have found something that keeps you from becoming a victim of crime.

    -- Posted by beg on Mon, Nov 7, 2022, at 1:16 PM
  • Beg,

    Dogs, electronic surveillance that alerts, constant vigilance, and various weaponry. And yes, I do choose to carry everywhere I go. If your employer won’t let you carry, either start your own business or find an employer that will. Also frequent contact to law enforcement, the non emergency dispatch number is vastly underused by the public.

    -- Posted by Koios on Mon, Nov 7, 2022, at 7:45 PM
  • Thanks for being open and treating as a serious question. I will ask one more but you don't have to answer- do you find your friends on the left upset that you carry? If they don't, how do they square that with the political leadership of the left.

    Ironically, I don't carry and not in favor of it but truly understand those that do and don't begrudge them.

    -- Posted by beg on Mon, Nov 7, 2022, at 10:15 PM
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    Beg - I am on the left and I carry as do many on the left. The right tries so hard to make this a polarizing issue when a very large portion of the left has no issues with carry. It is much deeper than that (proper laws, proper control, access to mass destruction weapons, etc...)

    The right has been screaming for years that the left will take your guns yet here we are and that still hasn't happened (and won't) but its one heck of a rallying cry for the right to fear monger and get their base fired up with the misdirection and misleading commentary. They literally run on it year after year and I have to give them credit as it is a very effective platform because their base takes the bait every time....

    An I'm sure the replies here will prove that...

    -- Posted by RSOTS on Tue, Nov 8, 2022, at 1:23 PM
  • Obviously, I stated my perspective on carrying so feel confident this won't be misunderstood.

    I agree with the effective tool as a rallying cry but disagree on the end game of the left on this issue.

    The left is excellent at taking small steps to get where they want to go. My perspective is they want to ban but would be more than willing to take the cigarette approach and keep it legal and pile on the taxes to keep a gun.

    If your perspective is correct, and it may be, then they are the stupid ones for how they communicate their position. Instead of condemning the right for using the issue to spin their effective way, maybe the SLALLSC should look at messaging differently so it can't be used against them.

    The right, on the other hand, is awful at taking small steps to get where they want to go. They are all or nothing and don't understand how to slowly get where they want to go.

    I do see the left beginning to go down that same road and that will ruin one of the advantages they have in political strategy.

    -- Posted by beg on Tue, Nov 8, 2022, at 2:33 PM
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    Beg - I really do value your opinions and like your perspective much of the time even if I disagree with it and I'm always tempted to engage in a civilized discussion but then you throw in your SLLCLLASLAASCLLLSSS (which is different every time) and I lose all desire because if you truly had a desire for civilized discourse you wouldn't resort to made up abbreviations that nobody knows the meaning of (which is a form of playing mind games and the opposite of civilized discussion). Oh well maybe another time....

    REPUBADUBDUBBELLYRUBGETMESOMEGRUB or something along those lines...

    -- Posted by RSOTS on Tue, Nov 8, 2022, at 3:02 PM
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