Judge Meyer returns to courthouse for first time since shooting to swear in new judge
It was his first time back since Steve and Kim Meyer were shot at their Lafayette home on Jan. 18. Chief Justice Loretta Rush: ‘I want to just really note the courage of Judge Meyer’
Judge Steve Meyer returned to the Tippecanoe County Courthouse Tuesday, three weeks after he was shot at his Lafayette home in what investigators called a plot to derail an upcoming trial in his Superior Court 2, to swear in a new colleague on the bench.
With a jury box filled with other judges from Tippecanoe County and a welcome by Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush – a former Tippecanoe Superior Court 3 judge – Meyer administered an oath of office for Kevin McDaniel, recently appointed to fill a term as Tippecanoe Superior Court 1 judge, in a ceremony videoed and shared by the Tippecanoe County Bar Association.
Meyer, wearing his judge’s robe, didn’t offer comments beyond his role in swearing in McDaniel. But he received a hug from Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski – who served with Meyer on the Lafayette City Council – as things concluded, and his presence back in the courthouse for the first time since the attempt on his life was a focal point of the ceremony.
“Quite frankly, I think I’m most pleased to see Steve Meyer, our friend and colleague, joining us today,” Tippecanoe Circuit Court Judge Sean Persin said.
Rush thanked Meyer, not only for being there but also for the words he offered in the days after he and Kim Meyer, his wife, were injured by shots fired through the door of their Lafayette home on Jan. 18.
As he started his recovery, Meyer said: “I want the community to know that I have strong faith in our judicial system. This horrific violence will not shake my belief in the importance of peacefully resolving disputes. I remain confident we have the best judicial system in the world, and I am proud to be a part of it.”
Rush told Meyer Tuesday that she’d taken comfort in what Meyer said, as she was communicating with judges across the state about what had happened to him. She noted that they were in a 19th century courthouse as “a place where disputes could be settled with reason and civility, not fear and violence.”
“I want to just really note the courage of Judge Meyer and the strength and the words he put out there that we’re not going to let violence or threats of violence deter us from doing the job that we’re supposed to do,” Rush said.
“It is a priority of mine as chief justice that judges not only feel safe, but they be safe, and that we give them the tools and protection that they need to be able to put on that robe every day and make those life important decisions,” Rush said. “We will continue to strive harder and do better, because we can’t let fear or violence to deter us from that foundational idea of why they built this beautiful edifice in this community.”
McDaniel, a Tippecanoe County deputy prosecutor, was appointed in late January by Gov. Mike Braun to fill the final year in a term in Tippecanoe County Superior Court 1. McDaniel replaced Judge Randy Williams, who retired Jan. 17 in the midst of his third term in Superior Court 1, after giving notice in September 2025.
McDaniel already had filed as a Republican candidate for the seat in the 2026 elections.
McDaniel – who took the oath on Bible on loan from the Tippecanoe County Historical Association and originally owned by Helen Gouger, a 19th century Lafayette attorney and early advocate for women’s voting rights – referenced comments by Williams when he first ran for judge.
“He said there was a court that was going to be open, and I thought I could help,” McDaniel said. “I thought that was very humble, and that resonated with me, that this opening that came about. I think I can help, but I’m excited to be a part of the judiciary here in Tippecanoe County.”
Tippecanoe Superior Court 1, which covers a range of civil and criminal cases, is one floor down from Meyer’s courtroom in the Tippecanoe County Courthouse.
Meyer continues to recover, while a pro tem judge handles matters in Superior Court 2.
Here’s a video of the ceremony, provided by the Tippecanoe County Bar Association
About the criminal case
Six people have been charged in connection with the Jan. 18 shooting that injured Steve Meyer’s left arm and hit Kim Meyer in the hip.
Investigators say the plot revolved around Thomas Moss, who had been scheduled to face a trial on Jan. 20, on 2024 charges of intimation, domestic battery and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. He also faced charges of being an habitual offender. According to court documents, Meyer had rejected an attempt filed earlier in January to postpone that trial, lining up more than 50 jurors to report that Tuesday morning. That trial was postponed after the shooting. In court documents filed in the attempted murder case, investigators say the victim in Moss’ scheduled trial had been approached weeks earlier and offered $10,000 to not show up and testify.
According to court documents filed with the charges, investigators say Raylen Ferguson, 38, of Lexington, Kentucky, went to the Meyers’ door in a disguise, knocked on the door, told Steve Meyer he was looking for his dog and then firing a short-barrel shotgun through the closed door.
Four people – including Ferguson; Moss; Blake Smith, 32, of Dayton; and Nevaeh Bell, 23, of Lafayette – face a dozen or more charges, including counts of attempted murder in scheme that also included targeting a witness in Moss’ trial. Two others – Amanda Milsap, 45, of Lafayette, and Zenada Greer, 61, of Lexington, Kentucky – face lesser charges for alleged roles in the crimes.
The six are being held on bonds in excess of $1 million.
For more on the alleged plot and charges
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