The shooting that wounded two Indianapolis police officers last week now has a second, more troubling layer: IMPD says one of the officers was struck by a colleague’s bullet. Both officers survived and were ultimately released in stable condition, while the 21-year-old man at the center of the gun battle died at a hospital.
According to IndyStar, police said one officer was hit by a bullet from fellow officer fire and the other was struck by a round fired from Dalys Scott Kohl Jett’s handgun. The department has not released body-worn camera footage to the general public, leaving key details about the exchange unresolved.
Officers had responded to a disturbance at a home in the 8000 block of East 37th Street when police said Jett opened fire. At least three officers returned fire and struck Jett, according to WRTV, and the Marion County Coroner’s Office identified him as 21 years old.
Body-Camera Footage Is Now Central To The Case
IMPD has agreed to let Jett’s family review all unredacted body-camera footage from the call, IndyStar reported. That arrangement gives the family access to evidence the public still cannot see, including footage that could help clarify the order of gunfire and how the officer was hit.
The friendly-fire finding does not, by itself, establish misconduct or explain whether the round was fired during an otherwise justified response to an armed attack. It does make the unreleased video and the department’s investigative conclusions especially important for the officers, Jett’s family and residents trying to understand what happened.
An earlier Hoodline account described the initial disturbance call and the large police response on the far east side. The newly reported bullet path adds a significant detail that was not available during the first round of coverage.
Family Says It Will Preserve Its Legal Options
In a statement cited by IndyStar, Jett’s family said, “Dalys cannot speak for himself,” and that it would continue pursuing the truth while preserving “every legal right and remedy” available. The statement does not announce a lawsuit, and no criminal charge against an IMPD officer has been reported.
The shooting remains subject to an IMPD Critical Incident Response Team investigation and a separate Internal Affairs review, ABC News reported. Until those reviews are complete and the video or other evidence is made public, the central questions surrounding the friendly-fire round remain open.
