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Inset: Rylynn Joshua Davis (Delaware County Jail). Background: The area in Muncie, Indiana, where Davis allegedly killed his girlfriend and shot two men trying to help her (Google Maps).
In a tragic incident in Indiana, a 21-year-old man is facing serious charges after allegedly shooting two men who intervened in a distressing situation involving his girlfriend. The suspect, identified as Rylynn Joshua Davis, is accused of dragging his girlfriend, who was screaming for help, along a sidewalk. When two good Samaritans stepped in to assist, Davis reportedly opened fire.
Following the incident, Davis was apprehended and now faces a slew of charges. He has been indicted on 10 criminal counts, including murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, kidnapping, and criminal confinement. These charges stem from the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Cheyenne Angelina Raines, as indicated by court documents.
In addition to these charges, prosecutors are seeking a firearm sentencing enhancement, which could significantly increase Davis’s sentence if he is convicted. The murder charge alone suggests a possible maximum prison term of 65 years, highlighting the gravity of the allegations.
The Muncie Police Department was called to the scene on the 2700 block of South Walnut Street around 5:30 p.m. on May 10, following reports of multiple people being shot. When officers arrived, they discovered three gunshot victims — Raines and the two men who had attempted to help her — outside a residence, according to a report by Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN.
Tragically, Raines succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital. She had been shot multiple times in the face, chest, abdomen, and back. The two men who were shot while trying to assist her were taken to different hospitals to receive medical treatment for their injuries.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Star Press, responding officers and a bystander managed to quickly detain Davis. Once in custody, Davis allegedly claimed that he did not mean to harm Raines and was merely “protecting himself” when he opened fire.
Court documents outline a violent sequence of domestic abuse initiated when Raines attempted to leave Davis and the home they shared two days prior to the shooting.
The defendant reportedly forbade Raines from leaving, forcefully threw her to the floor and caused her to strike her head. Raines again announced she was leaving on May 10, but as she walked down the street to escape, Davis reportedly pursued her and punched her in the head. He also claimed he picked up a handgun Raines had dropped during the attack.
Davis then grabbed Raines by the feet and began dragging her backward toward their home as she screamed for help, an interaction captured clearly on a nearby surveillance camera. Two men driving by witnessed the assault from a Dodge pickup truck and pulled over to confront Davis.
“At first, I thought it was just two kids messing around,” one of the men, Michael Hennessey, told WXIN. “Then, I looked closer and realized it was a guy dragging a girl down the road by her ankles.”
Witnesses told investigators that Davis immediately opened fire on the truck and the two men, describing the shooter as “emotionless and cold as he fired the gun.”
Hennessey recalled the frantic moments as he dove for cover while rounds tore through the scene.
“I jumped out my door, ducked behind the truck, and I [saw the other man] and her both laying on the ground,” he told the station. “Almost as soon as I switched directions, it felt like I got hit with a baseball bat.”
The other good Samaritan was shot directly in the head and suffered a catastrophic injury described in court records as “incompatible with life” before being airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital in critical condition, Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV reported.
After the shooting, Davis fled to a home where officers discovered three young children — ages 3, 2, and 3 months — locked inside a bedroom. Investigators described the room as being in “deplorable” condition, noting that the toddlers were found completely “covered in dirt and feces” with no other guardians present. The discovery led to Davis also being charged with neglect of a dependent.
Davis is currently being held without bond in the Delaware County Jail. He is scheduled to appear for his initial hearing on May 27.