Man shot victim because he stole his friend's vape: Cops
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Inset left: Maclean Murt (Hamilton County Sheriff”s Office). Inset right: Justin Burton (GoFundMe). Background: Britton Tavern in Fishers, Indiana (WXIN/YouTube).

A heated confrontation at an Indiana bar over a vape tragically escalated into a fatal shooting, leaving one man dead and another facing serious charges. According to law enforcement, the incident involved a man in a wheelchair who shot another man in the face during the dispute.

The accused, 31-year-old Maclean Murt, now stands charged with murder and armed robbery, as indicated by Hamilton County court records. This violent episode unfolded in the early hours of Monday at Britton Tavern, a local bar situated in Fishers, part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area, as the establishment was preparing to close for the night.

At the center of this deadly conflict was Justin Burton, aged 30, who was present at the bar alongside Murt. As the clock neared the bar’s closing time of 3 a.m., a disagreement reportedly ignited over a vape, leading to a tense altercation.

According to reports from local media, including a Fox affiliate WXIN, Murt intervened when he witnessed his friend in a heated argument with Burton, accusing Burton of stealing the friend’s vape. Murt, in his wheelchair, approached the confrontation near the tavern’s restrooms.

The sequence of events that followed remains contested. Murt claimed that Burton shoved him, causing him to tumble backwards, at which point, he alleged, “a round slipped off.” However, surveillance footage reviewed by NBC affiliate WTHR reportedly contradicts this account, showing Murt initiating physical contact by grabbing and pulling Burton’s arm, which led to Murt falling out of his wheelchair. Subsequently, he allegedly drew a firearm and fatally shot Burton in the head.

What happened next was disputed. The suspect reportedly said Burton pushed him, causing him to flip backward, and, as he did so, “a round slipped off.” However, according to Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR, surveillance footage showed that Murt was the one to have gotten physical; he allegedly grabbed and yanked Burton’s arm, causing Murt to fall out of his wheelchair, and then pulled out a gun and shot the victim in the head.

“You just killed him,” a bouncer said, according to a witness. As this witness exited the bathroom, he saw the victim “with his head open,” per court documents obtained by the outlets. “The witness stated that he heard the guy in the wheelchair say to the bouncer that he shot the victim because he stole his vape,” the documents also said.

The Fishers Police Department was called to the tavern at about 2:45 a.m. Officers and medics tried to save Burton, but he was pronounced dead at the scene after having sustained “injuries consistent with a single gunshot wound.”

Officers began investigating and speaking with witnesses. Murt was also still there.

“I’m sorry about this,” the suspect allegedly told officers. He was then brought to the Fishers Police Department headquarters. At one point, when he was left alone in a room, he reportedly stated, “You could have just gave the vape up, dude, and none of this would have happened.”

Investigators were also still collecting evidence at the scene of the crime. According to police, a woman who told officers she was Murt’s sister was holding the vape that had reportedly caused the fight.

“I’m just in shock,” she allegedly said. “Because my brother just f— shot somebody.”

Murt was placed in the Hamilton County Jail. He had an initial court appearance scheduled for Friday.

According to a GoFundMe set up for Burton’s family, the man had just turned 30 years old hours before the shooting.

“He was a victim of gun violence,” the fundraiser set up by his former swimming coach says, adding, “His personality was LARGE. He was outgoing and funny. I told him when he graduated that he was going to go places.”

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