Man Fatally Shoots Ex At Restaurant, Kills Himself

Witnesses: Shooter Walked Into Kitchen, Opened Fire

The Indy Channel
July 31st, 2010

PENDLETON, Ind. — A woman was killed by her ex-boyfriend before he killed himself at a restaurant early Saturday morning, police said.

Robert Jones, 56, went into Deb & Donna’s Diner, at 609 E. State St., at about 5 a.m. armed with two guns, one semiautomatic and a revolver, investigators said.

According to witnesses, Jones walked into the kitchen, where Debra Aynes, 51, was working and fatally shot her before killing himself.

A waitress and one customer were in the restaurant at the time. Neither were injured.

Friends told police that the couple who had been together 25 years had recently separated and that he wasn’t handling it well. Aynes was co-owner of the restaurant and was well-known and loved in the community, 6News’ Myrt Price reported.

“It’s just senseless, and I know she didn’t expect anything like this,” said one friend. “I never would have thought Rob would’ve done anything like that. Everybody was her friend. Everybody loved her. She just always had a smile. She was a bubbly personality. She cared about everybody.”

“Coward, he’s going to rot in hell, if there’s a God,” said another of Aynes’ friends. “Rob’s been an off the handle, off the cuff wild man all his life.”