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The shocking shooting of an Indiana judge and his wife was a failed hit by a motorcycle gang trying to derail the upcoming trial of a high-ranking member in the judge’s court, according to officials who released video of three of the five suspects being busted.
“This attack was more than an assault on two citizens,” LaFayette Police Chief Scott Galloway said Tuesday in an update on the Jan. 18 attack on Judge Steven Meyer and his wife, Kim, who both survived.
“This was an assault on the rule of law itself.”
The shooting was a twisted plot to try to protect Thomas Gregory Moss, a high-ranking member of the Detroit-based Phantom MC motorcycle club with ties to the Vice Lords street gang.
Moss was charged in 2024 with beating his ex-girlfriend and firing a gun in her home, and was scheduled to testify before Meyer on Jan. 20, two days after the alleged attempted hit.
Amanda Milsap allegedly approached the victim in that case to tell her that the Vice Lords were offering $10,000 for her not to testify against Moss — a bribe she refused, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Raylen Ferguson, an affiliate of the Vice Lords, then traveled with his girlfriend, Zenada Greer, to Meyers’ home on Jan. 16 and knocked on the door saying he had a food delivery, but left, according to court documents obtained by KSAT.
He then returned two days later, wearing a mask and carrying a shotgun bought by another Phantom MC member, Blake Smith, in January, according to authorities.
Ferguson knocked on the Meyers’ door, saying he was looking for their dog. When they said they didn’t have the dog, Ferguson allegedly blasted them through the front door, striking Meyer, 66, in the arm, and Kim in the hip, cops said.
Furguson’s mask, clothing and the shotgun were allegedly later found dumped near the Meyers’ home.
The Lafayette Police Department, the FBI, the Indiana State Police and the Purdue University Police Department launched a search for the shooter that went on for days before apprehending five people in synchronized arrests Thursday evening.
Police released bodycam footage Tuesday of the arrests of Ferguson, Moss, 38, and Smith, 32, who are each charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, battery and intimidation.
Ferguson was busted during a traffic stop in Brookson, and was filmed answering yes or no questions while being placed in handcuffs.
Moss was arrested by police and SWAT teams at his home in Tippecanoe County. Video shows police yelling at him to “walk backwards slowly” after he emerges from the house before he’s taken into custody.
Police used a mechanical battering ram to break through a door at Smith’s home in Dayton, Indiana, footage of his arrest shows.
Milsap, 45, faces bribery and obstruction counts, while Greer, 61, who was arrested in Kentucky, was charged with helping a criminal and obstruction.
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