Kirk Gibson, 38, was sentenced to 46 years in prison for leading police on a pursuit that began in New Castle and ended in a fatal crash on Indianapolis's east side, killing his own passenger. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced the sentence, which stems from a chase through three counties in a stolen Dodge Durango last year.
The pursuit started in New Castle and stretched through Henry, Hancock and Marion counties, according to WISH-TV, which reported that the Durango merged onto I-70 before exiting at Post Road. Gibson crashed at the intersection of Washington Street and Mitthoefer Road shortly after the police pursuit had ended, striking a blue Ford Mustang and a second vehicle the station identified as a white BMW. WISH-TV reported that the Durango was traveling 89 mph at the moment of impact and that brakes were not used before it hit the Mustang.
Dewaun Hampton, 33, a passenger in the stolen Durango, was ejected from the vehicle and died in the crash, the station's report states. Gibson was arrested after the crash and initially faced preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement, resisting law enforcement causing death, resisting law enforcement causing serious bodily injury and auto theft.
Conflicting Accounts of the Conviction Count
Gibson was found guilty of seven counts of resisting law enforcement resulting in death, a Level 3 felony, as well as several other counts of resisting law enforcement and theft, Fox59 reported. WISH-TV's account of the sentencing describes convictions on one count of resisting law enforcement resulting in death, a Level 3 felony, along with three Level 5 felony counts of resisting law enforcement, two Level 6 felony counts of resisting law enforcement and one Level 6 felony theft count. Hoodline could not independently reconcile the two versions.
Gibson also pleaded guilty to a habitual sentencing enhancement and admitted to a probation violation, according to the prosecutor's office. Those admissions accounted for 15 years of his 46-year total sentence, Fox59 reported, citing the enhancement tied to his habitual-offender plea.
A Pattern of Deadly Chases in Indianapolis
Gibson's case echoes an earlier Indianapolis pursuit that also ended with a passenger's death. Matthew Goode was sentenced to 20 years in the Indiana Department of Correction for a fatal 2018 police chase on the city's south side, according to IndyStar. That sentence included 12 years for resisting law enforcement resulting in death and eight years for being a habitual offender.
More recently, a Carmel pursuit in June left another Indianapolis-area driver dead. A stolen Kia Sportage crossed the centerline and struck Kevin McKelvey's Honda Fit head-on, and McKelvey later died from his injuries, per the Indiana Capital Chronicle. The driver, Alexander Mitchell, was charged with resisting law enforcement, criminal recklessness, reckless driving, unlawful carrying of a gun and driving with a suspended license.
State Data Shows Chases Remain Deadly
The Capital Chronicle's reporting notes that Indiana recorded 18 fatalities caused by police chases in 2023, ranking 10th nationwide and tying Ohio, while 470 people were killed during pursuits nationally that same year. Indiana lawmakers set a statewide minimum safety standard in 2023 requiring officers to weigh factors such as the suspected violation, danger to the public, time of day, traffic, visibility and familiarity with the area before starting a high-speed chase, the outlet reported.
The same report noted that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had recorded at least 86 deaths from high-speed police chases in Indiana between 1993 and 2003, involving bystanders, suspects and officers alike. In 2023, the Police Executive Research Forum recommended prohibiting pursuits altogether unless a violent crime had already been committed or a suspect posed an immediate threat to the public, according to the Capital Chronicle.
