Anderson man convicted of murder in Delaware County
Jun. 28—MUNCIE — An Anderson man has been found guilty by a Delaware County jury of murder in a 2022 road rage incident in rural Daleville.
Alexander Geesy, 20, is scheduled to be sentenced July 26 in Delaware County Circuit Court Division 5 for the July 22, 2022, shooting death of Randall Coomer.
Four Anderson residents were charged in the incident.
On the afternoon of the crime, Alexander and Ryan Geesy, Brandi Zirkle, Dawn Schattner and three juveniles took two cars from Anderson to Sharp Cemetery in the 12000 block of South Delaware County Road 500 West in rural Daleville "to celebrate a birthday."
Zirkle, the Geesys and two of the juveniles were riding in a Ford Focus belonging to a sister of Alexander Geesy, while Schattner and one of the juveniles were in Schattner's Ford Explorer. During the ride, some of the occupants of at least one of the cars yelled obscenities and "flipped off" occupants of other vehicles.
About a quarter mile south of the cemetery at roughly 2 p.m., they encountered Stephanie Coomer parked in a car at the mailbox in front of her home along 500 West. Occupants of the Focus flipped Stephanie Coomer off and shouted profanities at her as she yelled at them to slow down. She later told police that the cars "came racing down the road and almost hit" her.
The Focus and the Explorer then continued northward to the cemetery, where both backed into the cemetery's unpaved lane on the west side of the road.
Back at the Coomers' house, after Stephanie saw the cars turn in to the cemetery, she pulled up the driveway and told her husband what had happened. Randall Coomer then drove a truck to the cemetery to confront the cars' occupants for speeding and flipping off his wife.
When Coomer arrived, he and Ryan Geesy had a verbal and physical altercation. After Ryan Geesy fell, Alexander Geesy drew a .40-caliber handgun, pointed it at Coomer and repeatedly ordered him to lie on the ground. When Coomer didn't comply, Alexander Geesy fired a warning shot in the air.
When Coomer retreated toward his truck, Alexander Geesy fired a shot at him. Coomer ran away from the truck, and Alexander Geesy fired more shots in his direction until Coomer fell into a ditch.
After the shooting, the occupants of the Focus and the Explorer fled southward on 500 West.
Ryan Geesy and Brandi Zirkle pleaded guilty in 2023 to charges of assisting a criminal and obstruction of justice. Ryan Geesy was sentenced to serve 13 months in the Delaware County jail, and three years of the sentence was suspended. Zirkle was sentenced to serve two years on electronic monitoring.
Schattner has pending charges of assisting a criminal, obstruction of justice and neglect of a dependent. A court hearing has been set for Aug. 20.
Contact Ken de la Bastide at 765-640-4863.
