Man Charged with Murder After Shooting and Standoff Appears in Court
- Nathan Springfield
- Aug 6
- 2 min read
EDITOR'S NOTE: The image has been blurred because the individual pictured was making an obscene hand gesture. Photo shared with We Are Knox County, courtesy of Dustin Fuller.
VINCENNES, Ind. (We Are Knox County) - A man charged with murder following a fatal shooting appeared in court Wednesday afternoon.
32-year-old Dylan Smith appeared before Judge Monica Gilmore in Knox County Circuit Court for his initial hearing.
Judge Gilmore’s office confirmed to WAKC News Now that Smith entered a plea of not guilty.
Smith was appointed a public defender.
Knox County Prosecutor Dirk Carnahan told WAKC News Now that the murder charge includes a firearm enhancement, which could add 5 to 20 years to any potential sentence if convicted.
According to police, Smith is accused of fatally shooting 30-year-old Taylor Hendershot in the parking lot of Cardinal Liquor on 6th Street in Vincennes on Tuesday.
In a probable cause affidavit obtained by WAKC News Now, officers with the Vincennes Police Department responded to the liquor store and found Hendershot in her vehicle with a noticeable gunshot wound.
A witness told officers they saw Smith shoot Hendershot while she was sitting inside the vehicle.
Police say Smith then left the scene in a black SUV.
Another witness reported seeing the SUV crash at the intersection of State Street and Beret Street.
According to the affidavit, Smith then ran to a residence on Carbon Street and barricaded himself in the basement.
Officers negotiated with Smith for several hours before deploying OC vapor canisters and a large number of pepper balls into the basement.
Smith then exited the residence, was taken into custody, and transported to the hospital for what were described as self-inflicted injuries.
He was later released from the hospital and booked into the Knox County Jail, where he currently remains on no bond.
Vincennes Police Department Chief Jon Hillenbrand told our news partner WTWO/WAWV that Hendershot and Smith were allegedly in a relationship at the time of the shooting.
Hillenbrand says that Hendershot and Smith do have a child together and that the child was not present at the time of the shooting.
Smith is due back in court for a jury trial on Tuesday, November 4 at 8:30 a.m.
