Terre Haute man charged with murder of local police, FBI officer Ferency

A Terre Haute man has been arrested and charged with premeditated murder following the shooting death of Terre Haute Police Detective and FBI Task Force Officer Gregory Ferency outside the FBI Resident Agency office in Terre Haute Wednesday.

Shane Meehan, 44, has been charged with the murder of a federal agent and could face life in prison if convicted, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana announced Thursday. The office did not provide any information as to a motive for the incident.

“An attack on law enforcement is an attack on us all,” Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana John Childress said in a news release. “As citizens of this (country), we enjoy on a daily basis the security and protection provided by the men and women of law enforcement. That security and protection is all the more precious because it is at times paid for with the lives of those who have chosen to protect us. The selfless dedication exhibited by Detective Ferency throughout his career and his tragic death yesterday is yet another example of why we all owe our respect and gratitude to the members of law enforcement.”

The affidavit in support of the criminal complaint was filed Thursday afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

According to the affidavit, Meehan pulled his Ford F-150 pickup truck next to the gate at the secured entrance to the parking lot of the FBI building in Terre Haute. He got out of his vehicle and lobbed a Molotov cocktail toward the building.

When Ferency walked out of the building a short time later, Meehan shot him. Although Ferency was able to return fire, he later died from gunshot injuries.

FBI Special Agent Ryan Lundgren ran out of the building and engaged Meehan in a gun battle. Meehan was shot two times but still managed to get into his truck and flee the scene, according to the affidavit.

Law enforcement subsequently located Meehan at the Vigo County Regional Hospital where he was being treated for gunshot wounds. After obtaining a federal search warrant, officers searched Meehan’s truck and found a Smith & Wesson M&P 45 semi-automatic handgun along with additional ammunition and three more Molotov cocktails.

“Greg was a valued member of our FBI family and had worked side by side with us as a Task Force Office since 2010 in our Terre Haute office,” FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan said in a news release. “We will work day and night to carefully examine the circumstances of the shooting and we are dedicated to honoring Greg’s memory through a meticulous investigation.”