The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 21

MP RegionB2 The Buzz PageB4 ObituariesB6-8 WeatherB8 The Indianapolis Star lndyStar.comhews Thursday, October 7, 2004 Section Couple with filthy home sentenced for neglect. B3 Public asks state to cut mercury emissions. 65 i Cxil UDtui mm inf mm 6 police officers have been killed with their own weapons this year two Marion County sheriffs detectives. "We have enough evidence to show that Khadir Al-Khattab definitely shot the police officer with his gun," said Burgess Ricks, the Indianapolis Police Department detective who has led the investigation. Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Davis died 38 minutes later. Although people on campus saw Davis and Khadir Al-Khattab talking around 10 JO am, no one saw the struggle that followed or how Al-Khattab gained control of Davis' gun. And no one saw the me 5 How the policeman was disarmed in the campus confrontation remains unknown. By Tom Spalding Tom.spaldingindy5tar.com Autopsy results released Wednesday confirm the shot that killed Butler University Police Officer James Davis Jr. came from his pistol Ballistics tests showed Davis, 31, was struck in the left temple by a bullet from his department-issued weapon during a confrontation Sept 24 outside Officers slain this year when their weapons were used against them: Jan.

30: Officer Kick Sloan, St Louis Police Department Sloan and another officer approached a suspect after a drug deal and were searching him, when the man grabbed Sloan's weapon and fired, striking both officers. Sloan's partner returned fire and killed the suspect Feb. 4: Detective William Rolniak Jr, Riverdale (ID.) Mice When the detectives moved in to make the arrest, a violent struggle ensued, and the suspect was able to gain control of Parker's 9 mm pistol. The suspect shot both detectives in the chest Sept 24: Officer James Davis Jr, Butler University PoRce Department, Indianapolis. No witnesses saw the incident but ballistics tests show Davis was shot with his gun.

Source: Officer Down Memorial Page, www.odmp.org Suspect grabbed Rolniak's service weapon out of its holster. The suspect had not been handcuffed because he had been cooperating with the authorities. May 22: Lt Vickie Wax, Baton Rouge (La) Police Department Wax was shot with her service weapon during her attempt to handcuff a shoplifting suspect Sept 10: Detectives H. Patrick Rafferty and Robert Parker, New York City Mice Department Davis Keepmg your gun from falling into an assailant's hands is one of the most basic lessons officers learn, said Rusty Goodpaster, deputy director of the Indiana Law Enforcement See Butler, Page B5 shooting. So the details about the bullet, as determined, by the Marion County Crime Lab, offer crucial information about the encounter.

Al-Khattab was slain hours later when, police said, he fired at "Blindness is not the tragedy that people think it is. It is the attitude and misunderstanding about blindness that people have that makes it a tragedy." Ron Brown, president of the Indiana chapter of the National Federation of the Blind Staffs process last-minute registrations 2, ZZIIT' I t' S'm v. S-- 4 DECISION 200 Stacks of forms include some address changes, but loads of new voters expected. By John Strauss john.straussindystar.com Marion County election officials on Wednesday began tripling the voter registration crew to handle thousands of last-minute registrations. "We'll be working at full capacity from about 6 a.m.

to 11 p.m. every day for the next week, including Saturday and Sunday," said Kyle Walker, the Republican member of the Board of Voter Registration. The stacks of forms offer a glimpse of what Nov. 2 could look like an election year with strong voter interest in the races for president and Indiana governor. Election officials in other metro counties say they're seeing a tide of new voters but some said they could not afford to hire extra help.

"Marion County is lucky. We don't have the money," said John Williams, election deputy for the Shelby County Election Board. "But we're moving right along at a good pace. I'm working a couple of extra hours every night." See Voters, Page B2 Matt OetrWi The Star Simon considering changes to its HQ Thinking positively: Ron Brown, 48, lost his eyesight when he was shot in the face in 1973. He says the National Federation of the Blind, for which he is Indiana chapter president helped him succeed in life and at his vending business (above).

Empowering the sightless State group celebrates 50 years of service 5 '-)' -'Him -'mil I lll IKlll.i,...,......""1"" Company mulling lst-floor retail space, including restaurant, and a museum nearby. By John Fritze iohn.fritzeindystar.com Real-estate giant Simon Property Group is considering first-floor retail at its planned Downtown Indianapolis headquarters and developing a nearby museum in response to criticism about the building's design. John Rulli, Simon's chief operating officer, told the city's Metropolitan Development Commission on Wednesday that the added features might mitigate the building's effect on its planned site, an urban park known as Capitol Commons. Specific plans including the focus of the museum were scant, and Simon officials declined to comment when contacted after the meeting. Rulli said the ideas were based on discus- Event tonight is open to public The Indiana chapter of the National Federation of the Blind will celebrate its 50th anniversary in an event open to everyone today at the Adam's Mark Hotel near Indianapolis International Airport Tickets are $30 for an individual or $55 for a couple.

The event begins at 7 p.m., and speakers include Joanne Wilson, commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, and Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation for the Blind. Tickets may be purchased by calling (317) 205-9226 or at the hotel. By Rob Schneider rob.schneiderindystar.com Ron Brown speaks in a matter-of-fact voice of the shooting that cost him his eyesight. But when he talks of the philosophy that helped him face life without sight, his words come to life. That philosophy arose about 30 years ago in a meeting with Marc Maurer, the president of the National Federation of the Blind, who was then the president of the group's Indiana chapter.

"Their attitude was, just because you are blind, your life is not over," Brown said. Brown, of Indianapolis, is now president of the state chapter, which celebrates its 50th anniversary today. The philosophy that stirred hope in Brown has helped thousands of others, The organization's approach is to help people understand Business owner: Ron Brown has operated RB Vending for 21 years; he manages the company and supervises two employees. The design of Simon Property Group's new headquarters at Capitol Avenue and Washington Street has been criticized. sions with a group of local architects.

"Before last week and their request, frankly, we were not going to have anything in the building other than our corporate headquarters," Rulli said. "But we felt that was a reasonable request See Simon, Page B3 makes it a tragedy." Helping overcome those misunderstandings is one of the group's chief assets, said Pamela See Sightless, Page B3 that "blindness is not the tragedy that people think it is," said Brown, who runs a vending machine business. "It is the attitude and misunderstanding about blindness that people have that Missing woman's family seeks answers and changes Dattilos held an early search. Pitts' sister, Lola Katherine Fry, has been missing since Nov. 14, 1993.

Pitts will speak on the issue Thursday at St. Luke's United Methodist tried to get the case on the show just four weeks after Molly vanished. "At the time, the police told the show they did not have enough evidence to consider it a high priority." 1 Despite this massive, almost unrelenting publicity effort, Molly Dattilo remains lost The Madison native was last seen on the city's Westside. She was walking to Wendy's to apply for work. And then she was gone.

Molly Dattilo has been mentioned nationally on Fox News six times in the past 13 weeks. Last Friday, her name came up during CNN's "Larry King Live" when John Walsh was the guest. Ruth Holladay Church. On Oct. 25, she plans a golf outing at Valle Vista Golf Course to raise money to hire a private investigator for her sister's case.

Pitts has pressed her case with representatives of Democrat Gov. Joe Kern an and Republican Mitch Daniels, both running for governor. Amy Dattilo also met with U.S. Rep. Family member Tom Dattilo is an attorney in Louisville, Ky.

"The kids are doing a magnificent job," he said of getting the word out but he is less pleased with police. He said they are sincere, but he wonders if they are always competent. Heffner says he sympathizes with the family. If it was his daughter, he would do exactly Some, he says, drop off the map only to resurface six months or a year later although he has no indication that is the case with Molly Dattilo. Now the Dattilos and other Hoosier advocates for missing persons want more than billboards and TV mentions.

They want statewide emphasis, a swifter police response when an adult is reported missing and better coordination with federal agencies to get accurate numbers of missing Hoosiers. Amy Dattilo, Molly's cousin, says one concern is that police did not use dogs to track her. Instead, a nonprofit group later offered its dog-tracking services. Also, she says, unlike many other states, Indiana does not have a state co-coordinator for missing adults. She has learned this the hard way.

One of her educators has been Darlene Pitts, who showed up to help when the "It is like Molly was put into a vaporizer," says Capt. Chris Heffner, in charge of the sexual and physical assault and missing persons division of the Marion County Sheriffs Department. Two detectives, he says, are assigned full time to the case. As painful and frustrating as this has been for her family, it has opened their eyes to a shadow world. In Marion County alone, there are 3400 missing personrunaway cases every year, says Heffner.

On Saturday, she was fea- tured on Walsh's show, "America's Most Wanted." Her photos she is a pretty, fresh-faced 23-year-old, a champion runner, slender and petite have been placed on 43 billboards around the state, including one on the Westside, not far from the apartment where she lived last summer with her brother. Next Thursday, a runwalk at Eastern Kentucky University will honor her. She would have been a senior this fall Molly Dattilo Dan Burton, whose chief of staff helped to get Molly fea- what they are doing, tured on Fox's "America's Most Ruth Holiday's column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. You can reach her at (317) 444-6405 or via e-mail at ruth.holladayindystar.com. Wanted." But Keri Dattilo, a family member and a Fox editor in California, says she ni iinti a.