Published: June 19, 2008 12:19 pm      

Jeffersonville ‘road rage’ shooter claims self-defense

The suspect in a shooting at 10th Street and Allison Lane on Tuesday is claiming self-defense, but some witnesses say the shooter overreacted.

In a 911 tape released by the Jeffersonville Police Department, Yolanda Parrish, a 39-year-old woman from Jeffersonville, admitted to shooting Wesley Mosier, a 52-year-old Corydon man.

“I have shot somebody up on 10th Street — I’m here in front of Thorntons,” she told the dispatcher. She then told the dispatcher that the man came toward her car and hit her.

Police say the shooting occurred due to road-rage between a motorcycle and SUV. Several witnesses claim Mosier was swerving in and out of traffic before stopping at the red light in front of Thorntons. Mosier got off his motorcycle and approached the SUV, according to police. Parrish then shot him in the chest with a .38-caliber revolver.

As of 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Mosier was listed in serious condition at University Hospital in Louisville.

One witness, a 37-year-old woman from Charlestown, said in an interview with The Evening News and Tribune, that she thinks the woman overreacted and could have pulled into the parking lot at Thorntons rather than reach for her gun. She has spoken with police but asked that her name not be published.

The witness said the victim did not appear aggressive when he approached Parrish’s SUV.

“He seemed calm and everything,” she said. She said he walked toward the driver’s window, and she hit him with the door and then shot him through the window.

“She shouted, ‘Oh no you don’t’ and opened the car door to shove him out of the way,” the witness said.

Another witness, however, told police that Mosier had an angry look on his face.

At least two witnesses listed in the police report said that Parrish and her 15-year-old son got out of the vehicle and started shouting at the man on the ground.

“After she shot him, her and her son got out of the car and was standing over him cussing him and kicking him,” one witness said.

Parrish did not respond to messages left on her home phone and cell phone.

Mosier’s parents told newsgathering partner WLKY that there is no excuse for shooting their son.

“He’s fighting for his life, and I think whoever this person is who did this, I think they don’t realize he has a family, too, and to pull out a gun and shoot someone in the chest is purely crazy,” Eva Leachman, Mosier's mother, told WLKY.

Clark County Prosecutor Steve Stewart will decide whether or not to file charges.

The victim’s injuries could have been worse if not for Micah Martin, a 25-year-old Eagle Scout from Jeffersonville. Martin was driving down 10th Street when he saw Mosier on the ground. He thought there had been a wreck.

“I just looked over and saw the gentleman trying to crawl back to Thorntons,” he said.

Martin said he was shocked to see about 15 people just standing and looking at the victim. He said police were talking to the suspects, and the man was on the ground by himself.

He pulled over and began to administer first aid to Mosier. That was when he realized he had been shot and still had a bullet inside of him. He said at one point the victim began to scream in pain but never lost consciousness and even gave some information to the police.

Martin described Mosier as being 6-foot-” or 6-2, and fairly muscular, about 220 pounds. He said the man seemed to be in fairly good spirits and even cracked a joke with police officers.

Detective Todd Hollis of the Jeffersonville Police Department said Parrish had a permit to carry the weapon. In Indiana, a person must apply to the chief of police in the municipality in which the person applies for a permit and pay an application fee. The applicant is given a background check and will not receive a license if he or she has been convicted of a felony. Applicants are not required to take any training classes.



SO YOU KNOW

• The suspect: Yolanda Parrish, 39, of

Jeffersonville

• The victim: Wesley Mosier, 52, of Corydon

• The Witnesses: Several witnesses told police Parrish and her 15-year-old son exited their vehicle after the shooting and cursed at Mosier as he lay on the ground.

• The PROSECUTOR: Clark County Prosecutor Steve Stewart will review the case presented by Jeffersonville Police and will decide if charges will be filed against Parrish.

• The 911 Call: Read the transcript from Parrish’s call to 911 following the shooting ... page A4

OR, Listen to Parrish’s call to 911 on our Web site at www.newsandtribune.com