A planned meeting to trade a gun and buy marijuana allegedly turned into an armed robbery and burst of gunfire on Indianapolis’ southwest side, leaving two men wounded and investigators piecing together a chaotic exchange months later.
The charges stem from a March 19 shooting on the 5900 block of Coppock Drive. According to Fox 59, David Rudolph and Dayone Ward were preliminarily charged after detectives said they planned a robbery that ended with both victims being shot.
When Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived, they found two people suffering from gunshot wounds. An earlier report by Hoodline said both victims were taken to area hospitals and were initially reported to be in stable condition while police searched for suspects.
Meeting For Marijuana And A Gun Trade
Court documents reviewed by Fox 59 say one victim arranged to meet Rudolph and Ward to purchase marijuana and trade a firearm. Detectives found Instagram messages allegedly showing Rudolph coordinating the meeting, and the victim later told investigators that Rudolph was the person who arranged the trade.
The victim reportedly entered a white sedan with tinted windows and was inside for only 15 to 20 seconds. He handed his handgun to Rudolph, then tried to retrieve it and get out after someone inside the vehicle allegedly said, “the gun is took, get out the car.”
Surveillance footage reportedly showed the sedan pull up and remain at the curb before the victims exited and more shots were fired from inside the vehicle. One victim suffered a gunshot wound through the torso, while the other was shot in the ankle; detectives recovered three 9mm shell casings.
Witness Accounts Point To Ward But Leave Questions
According to the court documents, one victim identified Ward as the person who allegedly opened fire and said he recognized Ward’s Instagram username. Detectives later connected the username “fattboyy4skee._” to Ward and “lildave4s” to Rudolph.
The accounts were not perfectly clear-cut, however. One victim said Rudolph was not the shooter, while another said he could not determine whether Ward or someone else fired the shots. Documents also say Ward allegedly threw a firearm from the vehicle next to the wounded victims before the suspect car drove away.
Preliminary Charges And Warrant
Rudolph and Ward face preliminary charges of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 2 felony, and battery by means of a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony. An arrest warrant for Ward was issued last Friday out of Marion Superior Court 21, and Fox 59 reported that he had not been booked into jail as of Monday’s publication.
The victims were treated at Eskenazi Hospital, and one continues to recover from the injuries, according to the documents. The charges are allegations, not convictions, and the case will now move through the Marion County court system.
