Staff report
Bloomington, Ind. — July 19, 2023
The daughter of 51-year-old J.D. Dyer, who was critically injured when an employee at Subway shot him last Saturday, has started a GoFundMe campaign to help with the family’s expenses during this difficult time.
In her GoFundMe campaign post, Joslyn Dyer, the daughter of J.D. Dyer, described her father as the rock of the family. He has been married to her mother for nearly 30 years and has five daughters, seven grandsons, and one granddaughter. The family is thankful to still have him with them, but the incident has resulted in mounting bills, with Lori taking time off work to be by her husband’s side.
Since its posting, the GoFundMe campaign has raised $1,785 as of Wednesday morning.
“My dad had just got off from working a long shift and had stopped at subway to grab dinner for the family. Little did he know this wouldn’t just be a simple take out. He had parked on the curb to run in and order but an employee did not like that he parked where he did. They got into an altercation about this and when my dad walked out, he was met near his vehicle by this employee who shot him in the chest. To show how strong my dad is he managed to call my mom to tell her he had been shot before medical personnel got to him. Thankfully, for a bystander performing first aid and also calling the police my dad was able to arrive at the hospital within minutes and get taken into emergency surgery. This was just 1 of 3 surgeries in less than 24 hours. He is very lucky with the pathway of the bullet! The bullet did go through his left ventricle of his heart but missed his main artery by centimeters, which could have been catastrophic. Since the surgery’s he has been on a ventilator and is still continuing to fight. He still has a very long road ahead of him,” said Dyer.
The shooting suspect, identified as Sean Marselis Rivers, 22, was an employee at the North Bloomington Subway where the shooting occurred. According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office, the altercation began when Dyer parked his vehicle on the curb outside the restaurant. Rivers confronted him, asking him to move the vehicle, which escalated into a verbal fight.
Dyer left the restaurant after the argument but was met near his vehicle by Rivers. At that point, Rivers allegedly pulled out a Taurus 9mm firearm and shot Dyer in the chest.
Rivers was arrested shortly after the shooting and taken into custody without incident. During police interviews, Rivers claimed he pursued Dyer because he thought the customer was going behind the building, but he failed to provide a valid reason for chasing him. Witnesses stated that Rivers threatened Dyer multiple times before the shooting occurred, further suggesting an intent to harm.
The Bloomington Police Department, upon reviewing the evidence, determined that the shooting was not an act of self-defense and charged Rivers with attempted murder, a level one felony. He was subsequently transported to the Monroe County Jail to await further legal proceedings
