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Man, 3-year-old boy shot in Bartholomew County; suspect on the run

UPDATE: The suspect, Robbie L. Perez, was arrested Friday afternoon in Franklin following a pursuit.

The age of the child victim in this story was changed from 2 to 3 years old due to new information from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office.

HOPE, Ind. (WISH) — A man and a 3-year-old boy were flown to hospitals in Indianapolis following a Thursday night shooting in Bartholomew County, police say.

Just before 11:30 p.m., sheriff’s deputies and officers from the Hope Police Department were called to a shooting in the 300 block of Elm Street in Hope. That’s a residential area several blocks east of State Road 9 and 15 miles northeast of Columbus.

Police found a 36-year-old man and a 2-year-old boy with gunshot wounds. Both were taken by helicopter to Indianapolis hospitals. Their conditions were unknown Friday morning, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office says.

Investigators believe the shooting was the result of a family dispute.

Robbie L. Perez, 35, of Columbus, was identified as the suspect.

The sheriff’s office says Perez is possibly driving a silver Chevrolet HHR with Indiana license plate TKQ614.

Perez might be in any of the counties surrounding Bartholomew County, including Rush County, the sheriff’s office says. He should be considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone who sees Perez or knows his whereabouts was asked to contact local police.

Anyone with information on the shooting should contact Det. Jason Lancaster at 812-565-5928.