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Police: Man brandishing guns fatally shot at tax business

LAWRENCE, Ind. (AP) - A man who walked into a suburban Indianapolis tax preparation shop with a gun in each hand was fatally shot by a company employee, police said.

Antonio Bertram, 25, of Indianapolis, said "What's up?" before he was shot midday Tuesday at the Colbert/Ball Tax Service office in Lawrence, police said. The Indianapolis Star reported he fired a shot or two as he staggered into the parking lot and collapsed in his car

Bertram died of a gunshot to the chest, Lawrence police Deputy Chief Gary Woodruff said.

Investigators believe Bertram was unhappy about a tax return that had been prepared for another person, Woodruff said Thursday. Additional details about the dispute haven't been released.

The person who shot Bertram was cooperating with the investigation, which is continuing, Woodruff said.

It's not clear yet whether that person was licensed to carry a handgun, he said. Asked if the person was permitted by the office to carry a gun on the premises, Woodruff said investigators had no reason to believe it was disallowed.

No arrests have been made. Prosecutors will review the case.

There was no video in the business, but several witnesses confirmed the facts at the scene, Woodruff said.

Calls to the Colbert/Ball Tax Service office rang unanswered.

To obtain an Indiana permit to carry a handgun in public, a person must be 18, get fingerprinted, submit to a police background check and pay licensing fees of up to $125 for a lifetime permit. Those with felony or domestic battery convictions are barred from obtaining a license. No permit is needed to carry long guns.

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