A southern Indiana judge and two other men were indicted by two Marion County grand juries eight weeks after a late-night scuffle escalated into a shooting outside the White Castle in Downtown Indianapolis.

Two judges, including indicted Clark County Circuit Judge Andrew Adams, 47, were shot during the incident. The other judge who was shot is not being charged.

Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry announced the charges Friday afternoon during a news conference that veered, at times, into a lecture explaining why the investigation of the nonfatal shooting of two public officials needed to happen behind closed doors.

"We understand — we get it — that rumors and speculation will inevitably develop while this sort of process unfolds," Curry said. "Grand jury proceedings are strictly confidential. Indeed, disclosure of the substance of grand jury proceedings is a crime itself. Not only was some of the (news) coverage of the past 90 days completely off-base, some of it was thoroughly irresponsible — thoroughly irresponsible."

Investigating the shooting was complicated, Curry said, by potential self-defense claims by all four men involved. Prosecutors decided to approach the investigation in a way that's never been done by his office before. Separate sets of deputy prosecutors presented evidence to two grand juries — one where the judges were considered potential victims and the men were considered suspects, and another jury where the roles were reversed. Each pair was given immunity, meanwhile, to testify in front of the grand jury where they were considered potential victims.

Curry described how the legal hurdles lengthened the investigation's timeline, stretching from May 1 when the shooting occurred to this week when they began presenting evidence. He stopped short, though, of providing any new specific details about the circumstances of the shooting, such as any motive or who, if anyone, claimed self-defense. Instead, Curry pointed to what's already been shared by a detective's two-page affidavit.

That affidavit, however, focuses almost entirely on the alleged actions of the shooter and other man. The report does not explain what Judge Adams is accused of doing. That continues — at least for now — to be kept secret.

Deputy Chief Chris Bailey, who oversees investigations at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, also spoke during the news conference to praise both Curry and the detective who worked the case.

"Detective Ron Clayton did a superb job from Day One. I couldn't be more proud of him, or the aggravated assault unit team, as they pieced together this particular case," Bailey said. "What these victims in this case — and one of the suspects — did for a living had no impact on how the investigators did their job."

Based on that initial investigation, the alleged shooter and other man were taken into custody, but the judge was not arrested. Curry then declined to press charges at the time and, instead, convened the separate grand juries.

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Seven charges for the judge

Judge Adams now faces seven counts of low-level felony and misdemeanor charges, including two counts of Level 6 felony battery.

The other two men — who were pegged as suspects by IMPD as early as May 5 — also were indicted.

Alfredo Vazquez, 24, faces six counts of low-level felony and misdemeanor charges, including two counts of Level 6 felony battery.

The toughest charges, though, came against the man identified by IMPD as the shooter: 41-year-old Brandon Kaiser.

In all, he faces 14 counts, including eight felony charges — four of which are Level 3 felony aggravated assault.

Brad Jacobs, the other Clark County judge who was shot, was not charged.

The late-night shooting

The shooting stemmed from a fight that began around 3:20 a.m. May 1 outside White Castle, 55 W. South St.

Investigators say Adams and Jacobs, the two judges, were in town for a judicial conference.

After hopping around several Downtown restaurants and bars late April 30 and into the morning hours of May 1, the judges tried to enter the Red Garter Gentleman's Club, police said, but it was closed. They went to the nearby White Castle instead.

Adams, Jacobs and a third judge, Crawford County Judge Sabrina Bell, were standing near the building when an SUV parked nearby and two men left the vehicle. The four men engaged in a "physical fight," investigators said.

It remains unclear why. Neither the detective nor Curry have shared any potential motives.

During the struggle, one man raised to his knees, pulled a gun from his waistband and shot Adams in the stomach. Nearby, Jacobs and another man were wrestling. The other man held onto Jacobs, police said, when the shooter walked up to Jacobs and shot him in the chest. After Jacobs fell to the ground, one man held him down while the shooter held the gun against Jacobs' chest and shot again.

Then the two men drove away, leaving the judges behind.

IMPD identified the suspected shooter as Kaiser and the other man as Vazquez. IMPD originally arrested both men just days after the shooting, but Curry then announced his office had declined to file charges at the time.

He and his office stayed mostly mum until Friday's news conference.

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Two grand juries

Having separate grand juries enabled prosecutors to offer immunity to the alleged victims in each grand jury, Curry said, which was designed to help prosecutors overcome any hesitancy to testify by the men involved. Any of four could have declined to speak by asserting their constitutional rights against self-incrimination, Curry said.

Under Indiana law, Curry said, if a person is granted immunity then it means his or her testimony cannot be used against them in a prosecution. It does not mean, he said, that the person is immune to prosecution.

None of the four were given immunity, though, for potential testimony before the grand juries where they were targets of the investigation.

Prosecutors working with each grand jury also did not talk or cooperate either, Curry said.

Whether any of the four men testified — or what any of the four may have said — is unclear, however. Grand jury proceedings are highly secretive under Indiana law.

But now that the indictments have been handed up, and as the cases begin proceeding in front of the public, new details about what happened could emerge.

Vazquez's attorney, Gregory Brant Spencer, hinted as much to IndyStar in a phone call late Friday.

"Once all the evidence comes out," Spencer said, "I think everybody will hopefully have a better understanding of what happened early that morning."

What's next

Late Friday, a state commission began seeking the suspension of Adams, with pay, as his criminal case proceeds. A temporary judge started hearing cases in Adams' court in early May as Adams recovered from his gunshot injuries.

Adams, meanwhile, has hired defense attorney Jennifer Lukemeyer to represent him. She did not respond to an IndyStar email Friday.

None of three men have been arrested. Curry said he expects all three to surrender to authorities next week, though he did not specify a day.

Spencer said it appeared that Vazquez's initial hearing had been planned for Tuesday morning.

IndyStar could not yet find an attorney listed for Kaiser.

IndyStar reporters Vic Ryckaert and Andrew Clark contributed to this story.

Contact IndyStar reporter Ryan Martin at 317-444-6294 or ryan.martin@indystar.com. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter: @ryanmartin

Contact IndyStar reporter London Gibson at 317-444-6043 or lbgibson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @londongibson.

This year IndyStar is deeply examining the level of violence in Indianapolis: why it is occurring, what is being done about it and what may inspire solutions. The project, called The Toll, also includes a weekly email newsletter. Subscribe for free at indystar.com/thetoll.