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Police Question Two In Connection With Deadly Explosion

Last updated on Wednesday, November 21, 2012

(INDIANAPOLIS) - Two men are being questioned by authorities in connection with a deadly explosion on the City’s south side, while more search warrants are expected to be served.

Several witnesses told Fox59 they saw police outside Bob Leonard's Highland Estates mobile home, Tuesday around 4 p.m, and took pictures and video of the scene.

Bob Leonard is the older brother of Mark Leonard, who lived with his girlfriend Moncy Shirley in the home that exploded more than a week ago. The blast killed two people and destroyed several homes.

Chad Horton lives next door to Bob Leonard and took video of the search with his cell phone.

"There was two trucks full of tactical guys... then they had a couple different undercover cars come in," explained Horton. "Then the actual police, IMPD was coming in. Probably about 30 officers. Probably 20."

He said he saw officers take golf clubs and an artillery box out of Bob Leonard's home and then take him away in handcuffs.

"Over on the next street, they put him in cuffs, put him in the car," said Horton.

Fox59 has learned investigators are also questioning David Gill, a longtime acquaintance of Mark Leonard.

Neither Gill or Bob Leonard have been arrested or charged at this time.

The investigation, which is now criminal, is centered around a white van spotted in the Richmond Hill neighborhood on the day of the blast.

Bob Leonard's longtime neighbor Whitney Essex told Fox 59, she'd seen that van parked outside Bob Leonard's home for about two weeks until it disappeared three days ago.

She said that's around the same time cops first came looking for Bob Leonard.

"They banged all over his house all in the windows trying to get him to come open the door to answer. He didn't answer," said Essex. "Then he came over that night and was like 'Whitney did you see the cops at my house? They were investigating that white van, but it's my brothers.'"

Horton told the same story.

"He tried to tell us that they were looking for his brother and that his brother had been over here," he said.

Essex said Bob Leonard always kept to himself, but she never imagined to see police show up looking for him the way they did on Tuesday.

"He's very skittish, that's just his personality, but he keeps to himself and he's quiet," she said. "You never know who you live next door to I guess."

Mark Leonard's attorney Randy Cable told Fox 59, Mark Leonard claims he is not close with his brother and had very limited contact. He said Mark Leonard had given his older brother some maintenance work at a hotel site to help him out.

Cable confirmed that Mark Leonard does know David Gill, but did not say how.

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