Residents react to New Richmond murder

NEW RICHMOND, Ind. (WLFI) - New Richmond residents are in shock after a deadly shooting. 23-year-old Jacob Byrd is in the Montgomery County jail, charged for the alleged murder of his older brother, 26-year-old Jacob Byrd.

All was quiet in the small town of New Richmond, just one day after Jacob Byrd was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head, inside a house at 9018 North County Road 500 West. Some community members couldn't believe a shooting could happen here.

"Coming from a small town, people expect these small towns to be comforting and everybody gets along," said Kyle Morris, who works in New Richmond. "When something like this happens, this drastic, people really don't know what to do. They're not used to this type of stuff out here in the country."

"Shocked. It's something you don't really hear of til here lately in New Richmond. I'm sure everybody takes a double take. It stops you in your tracks thinking," said New Richmond resident Blake Harmon.

Just eight months ago another deadly shooting happened in the New Richmond area. 30-year-old Heather Rush was shot and killed at a house in near New Richmond in March 2009. Residents say that two deadly shootings are uncommon for a small community.

"Very unheard of for small towns," said Harmon.

"It may even cause people to think about where they are living and they might change, they might leave the area if crime continues to rise as it does in Lafayette," said Morris. "It is becoming an issue everywhere."

Montgomery County Sheriff Luther Blanton says the county is like a lot of others, and crime is no longer uncommon.

"The inner city crime is infiltrating out to the counties," explained Blanton. "I think that is pretty noticeable. And a lot of the surrounding rural areas, a lot of people are moving out of the cities. Moving into the rural area. Obviously the crime has grown. Economy went down, crime rose. No doubt about it."

Chad Byrd is in custody facing a preliminary charge of murder. This is not Chad Byrd's first criminal charge. In April of 2005, he was given a five-year sentence for his role in a scuffle with New Richmond Town Marshal Mark Clapp. Clapp collapsed and died after struggling to arrest Chad Byrd in December of 2003.

A jury acquitted Chad Byrd of reckless homicide and involuntary manslaughter, but convicted him of battery and resisting law enforcement.