Man shot at Beech Grove KFC recovering; ex-coworker arrested

A man is recovering after being shot in the head by his coworker at a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Beech Grove on Tuesday.

Roberto Petties, a 24-year-old who had been fired from the KFC before the shooting, is now facing an aggravated battery charge, jail records show.

Callers reported hearing gunshots, then seeing the shooter run west from the restaurant at 4035 South Emerson Avenue, just before 8 p.m.

Police found Derick Pinner Jr. with a gunshot wound to his head. He identified his former coworker as the shooter to officers at the scene, according to the probable cause affidavit filed by investigators to arrest Petties.

The manager of the restaurant told investigators Petties was fired earlier in the day and threatened to come back and shoot people, the affidavit reads.

Pinner was taken to a hospital with the bullet still lodged in his head.

Jamie Conover, the man’s girlfriend, who he has three children with, said Pinner still could not speak as of Thursday morning, but he was eating and sitting up after brain surgery.

Officers found Petties at a residence on the east side of Indianapolis before he was detained and taken to the Beech Grove Police Department. He told investigators he threatened to shoot people in a group chat with other KFC employees earlier on Tuesday, according to the affidavit.

Petties said he exchanged threatening texts with Pinner but denied shooting him or being at KFC on Tuesday when speaking with police, the affidavit reads. An attorney for Petties was not yet listed in online court records before publication of this article.

An employee at the restaurant stated they were not allowed to talk about the shooting with media.

“Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and their family, and we are committed to supporting them during this unthinkable time,” reads a statement from KFC’s media department. “We are partnering with our franchisee and the KFC Foundation to offer counseling to the impacted restaurant team to help them cope with their experience of this act of violence. We will continue to fully cooperate with the authorities in their investigation.”