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Thursday, November 05, 2009
Ind. Law - "But for luck, lawmaker Ed Delaney says, attacker would have killed him
Mary Beth Schneider today has a lengthy interview with Indianapolis attorney and legislator Ed DeLaney, victim of an attack last Saturday morning (earlier stories here). Here are a few quotes, don't miss reading the entire story:
[L]ast weekend, Augustus Mendenhall sought out DeLaney, who speaks Russian. The lawmaker said Mendenhall -- using a fake name -- asked for his legal help on a potential real estate deal for Russian investors.On Saturday, DeLaney picked up Mendenhall from a church parking lot and drove a short distance to look at the property, on Catherine Drive near 131st Street in Carmel.
There, DeLaney said, Mendenhall reached into a large zippered bag, ostensibly to get a retainer check DeLaney already had declined. He pulled out a gun, wrapped in a plastic bag.
"I thought that I was in a lot of trouble, and I didn't know why," DeLaney said. "He asked me if I was right with God, and I said, 'That's between me and him or her.' "
Then, he said, Mendenhall asked him if he'd ever hurt anyone in a lawsuit.
"I explained a little bit why I didn't think so," DeLaney said.
As DeLaney talked, he said, "the whole time" he fully expected to die.
The gun was aimed at his head, and then his attacker appeared to pull the trigger.
DeLaney saw later that it had jammed, but at that moment, all he knew was that his attacker was having trouble grappling with the gun through the plastic bag.
"I said goodbye or whatever to my Lord. I whispered goodbye to my wife. I was afraid I was dead. I said, 'OK, you're dead. If you've got any chance of coming back . . . you'd better go for the gun.' So I went for the gun."
Posted by Marcia Oddi on November 5, 2009 07:36 AM
Posted to Indiana Law