Village tries to return to normal

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September 28, 2009

BY BRIAN L. HUCHEL The Commercial-News Mon Sep 28, 2009, 11:50 PM CDT

INDIANOLA — Attitudes are starting to return to normal a week after the shooting that rocked a small Vermilion County town.

Two men were shot and killed after police say they forced their way into a home during the night of Sept. 21 along South Vermilion Street in Indianola. The homeowner, 58-year-old Max Taylor, used a gun he owned to shoot the two men, who had a 16-guage shotgun.

Indianola Mayor William “Donnie” Turner said he was out and about Sunday night in the town of a little more 200 people. At this point, he said the local residents still aren’t outside much yet and some are still worried.

“I think it will come back to normal eventually, about as normal as it can,” he said

Two men — 22-year-old Thomas Moore of Georgetown and Peter Chromyn II, 17, of Tilton — forced their way into the home in the 300 block of South Vermilion Street when Taylor, a retired police offi-cer, opened the door a little before 11 p.m. on Sept. 21

The men, who believed there was a safe and money inside the home, began to strangle Taylor and demanded the cash. The men followed Taylor’s wife upstairs when she offered them her jewelry. At that point, Taylor retrieved his .40-caliber handgun from inside a bedroom dresser drawer and shot Chromyn as he was leveling the shotgun at Taylor.

Turner said the village has extra police on patrol. Nonetheless, he hopes people are still locking their doors at night.

“Everybody was set in their ways around here,” he said. “They always said it would never happen.”

The community is coming together to help the Taylors. Turner said a man, who asked to remain nameless, was going door to door to raise funds for any costs the couple may have incurred.

The man has already raised some money as a result of his efforts, Turner said. The final total will be released at a later time.

The incident has raised the eyebrows of people around the area. Since the day following the shoot-ing, the Commercial-News has received more than 300 comments posted in regards to the shooting, both in favor of and against the act.

Opinions still ran strong a week following the incidents, with people either strongly in favor of the actions Taylor took or staunchly against the moves. Several people said if, put in the same situation, Their actions would have follow Taylor’s.

“If it was my family yes, I think so,” said James Swim of Danville, admitting he’s not a violent man. “But you’re talking about your family.”

Erica Gois, a Danville mother of four children, already had a firearm owner’s identification card, al-though she hasn’t owned a gun in close to four years. She said she would pull the trigger as well.

“It’s kind of scary,” she said. “It really does make you think a lot about being in your own home and trying to protect yourself.”

Not everyone agreed. Gene Larson of Danville thought the fact he was a retired police officer was making a difference in the case.

“His a-- should be hung,” Larson said. “He’s no different that anybody else.”

Tom Cruppenink of Westville says the actions of Moore and Chromyn, in effect, forced Taylor’s de-cision.

“The intent was to rob and possibly hard those people,” he said. “We don’t know how far these kids were going to go. But he has right to protect himself.

“He can’t wait to see what they were going to do when they came in the house,” he added.

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