Robbers Shot Indiana Couple as Son, 6, Hid

Police in Indianapolis are appealing for information in the horrific shooting of a couple who were approached by armed men as they tried to fix their vehicle late at night. Wilma Hochsteler, 40, was killed and husband Jonathan Hochstetler was shot in the neck and critically injured in the shooting around 1:30am Thursday, reports the Indianapolis Star. Their 6-year-old son was hiding in the vehicle. "They robbed them of Wilma’s phone and both of their wallets and were walking away, and they turned around and came back and just point-blank shot Wilma and then Jonathan," family friend Andrew Yutzy wells WISH-TV. Police say the injured father was able to hand his phone to his son, who called 911.

Relatives say that Jonathan Hochstetler, who owns a roofing company in Bloomfield, was at a work site in Indianapolis when a tire blew on his trailer. He sent workers back to Bloomfield with his truck, and his wife drove back to Indianapolis in it with a spare tire and their son. Relatives say the couple, who also have three daughters, were heavily involved in missionary work, People reports. Sam Hochstetler, Jonathan's father, said Friday that he has forgiven the murderers. "Revenge only begets more violence," he said. "My heart's desire for them is that they would repent, to fall on their faces before the Lord Jesus, and cry out for mercy for their own souls' sake." He said that when the 6-year-old was reunited with relatives, the boy said: "I wish they didn’t shoot my mommy." A GoFundMe appeal has been launched to help with medical expenses. (More Indiana stories.)