An officer-involved shooting occurred in Indianapolis following a foot chase early Tuesday morning. According to a social media post from IMPD News, the sequence of events began with a female victim reporting an assault at a business on the 1600 block of Washington Street and culminated in an altercation on the 120 block of State Street that resulted in a suspect being fatally shot by police.
Responding to the initial call around 2:15 a.m., officers learned upon arrival that the victim sought medical attention after being assaulted by several individuals. After she was sent to a hospital for her injuries, a subsequent encounter with an adult male who was believed to have an active warrant, led to a chase. When the man, his hands in his pockets, refused to comply with an officer's command to "pull your hands out of your pockets for me" and fled, a taser was deployed during the pursuit, momentarily before the shooting occurred, the IMPD stated.
The individual, whose identity has yet to be released pending next-of-kin notification, was pronounced dead at the hospital. IMPD stressed that no other community members were harmed. Near the deceased suspect, detectives found a firearm, indicating a possible threat posed to the officers involved. The IMPD is continuing their investigation, with the officers' body camera footage set to play a crucial role in the ensuing inquiry as it was active at the time of the shooting.
Detective Brian Lambert has been assigned to the case, and the public has been urged to come forward with any pertinent information, listing Lambert's contact details and the anonymous Crime Stoppers number. Following standard practice, the officer who discharged their weapon has been placed on administrative leave for the duration of the investigations, which will include both a criminal aspect handled by the IMPD Critical Incident Response Team, and an administrative one by IMPD Internal Affairs. "The civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board will conduct a mandatory hearing for any attempted use of deadly force against a person," as confirmed by IMPD. Additionally, the Police Officer Support Team (POST) has been engaged to provide peer support for the officers present during the incident.
