NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WXIN) — Court documents reveal that two armed men pretended to be DoorDash delivery drivers in order to get inside an Indiana home during an attempted burglary — which officials say turned deadly for one of the would-be burglars.
Grayson Rhue, 18, of Roswell, Georgia, was shot and killed on April 6 at the Noblesville, Indiana, home. Rhue, along with 22-year-old Ruai Ngundeng Pal, are accused of an attempted home invasion that backfired when one of the occupants inside the home pulled a gun.
Shortly before 10:20 p.m. on April 6, police were called to the home. The caller told 911 dispatch that her son had just shot at two suspects who had forced their way into the home.
Court documents reveal that witness testimony and surveillance footage corroborate that Pal and Rhue arrived at the home dressed as DoorDash drivers. They approached the home with a DoorDash bag with Taco Bell "Quesaritos" along with two Baja Blast Freeze drinks.
Rhue was said to be wearing a red DoorDash mask and baseball cap, documents said.
Noblesville police said three occupants were inside the home when Pal and Rhue arrived and claimed to have a Taco Bell delivery. The three occupants were reportedly house sitters, not residents of the home, and told the two men they hadn't ordered any food.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows Rhue force his way inside the home and telling the man who answered the door to "Go inside, don't make any noise."
Occupants inside the home said the men were armed and pointed a gun at one of them. In response, one of the other occupants retrieved his own gun and fired at the intruders.
Court documents reveal that seven shots could be heard from inside the residence before Rhue was seen running out the front door and dropping the DoorDash bag.
Pal was arrested in his hometown of Franklin, Tennessee, and faces multiple felony charges including murder, burglary with a deadly weapon and armed robbery. Rhue was found by police two houses down from where the shooting occurred, lying at the end of a driveway and dead from his multiple gunshot wounds.
Police on scene reported finding a Walther handgun below the dropped DoorDash bag. A check by police revealed the gun was stolen out of Georgia.
Investigators ended up learning that Rhue had been staying at a Noblesville hotel. Pal is also seen in hotel security footage with Rhue. Police also tracked the duo's movements prior to the shooting to the Noblesville Home Depot where they can be seen buying a crowbar.
'I'm robbin' his house'
Court documents also reveal that the attempted robbery may not have been random.
Roughly two weeks before the home invasion, a man similar in description to Pal was spotted trying to enter a bedroom window in the same home where the shooting would later occur, police said. The man ran after making eye contact with an occupant inside the home.
An hour later, a rented Chevrolet Malibu that later would be tied to Pal was found in a field less than a mile form the home stuck on a fence. Officers spoke to Pal that night. He first claimed his rental car had been stolen, but then changed his statement to say he crashed.
He was charged with leaving the scene of a property damage accident.
A search of Rhue's phone uncovered a Snapchat conversation where someone asked Rhue, "You get your s--- back from that dude?"
Rhue reportedly responded, "Yeah we robbed his trap. I'll be back tommorw (sic) I'm robbin his house tonight then driving straight back."
Police said Rhue had also searched the exact address of the home in Google Maps.
Pal was arrested on April 17 by the Franklin Police Department in Tennessee. He will be transported to the Hamilton County Jail in Indiana.
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