A man was seriously hurt in a shooting on the near east side of Indianapolis early Thursday. Officers responding to a report that someone had been shot later found him wandering the streets with gunshot wounds. Police say he gave them no information about what happened, and they have found no witnesses to the shooting itself.
According to fox59.com, officers were first dispatched at 3:34 a.m. Thursday to a call about a suspicious person on South Oakland Avenue, though they did not locate anyone at that time. Six minutes later, at 3:40 a.m., dispatchers relayed a separate report that someone had been shot in the same vicinity, and officers again came up empty on an initial search, per the station's account.
The break came at 3:46 a.m., when police spotted a man walking near English and Oakland avenues. He was taken to an area hospital in serious condition, the station reported. Investigators say the man did not provide information about what led to the shooting, and the report notes there were no witnesses to the shooting.
A Prowler Report and a Copper Theft Tip, Still Unconnected
Compounding the mystery, police said an earlier prowler report in the area indicated that someone appeared to have tried to steal copper tubing from an air conditioner at a nearby home, per the same account. It remains unclear whether that attempted theft, the suspicious-person call, and the shooting are connected in any way.
The overnight case was also covered by 13 WTHR, which similarly described officers responding to a report of a person acting suspicious in the 400 block of South Oakland Avenue shortly after 3:30 a.m. before a man was found seriously hurt from the shooting. Additional details on the man's identity, age or current medical condition have not been released.
Indianapolis police have also dealt with broader gun violence on the city's southeast side this year. In July, seven people, including three juveniles, were arrested following a series of drive-by shootings across multiple southeast-side neighborhoods, according to WISH-TV.
Investigators continue to seek witnesses and any surveillance footage that might show what happened near English and Oakland avenues before dawn Thursday. Anyone with information can contact IMPD at 317-327-3475 or Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS (8477).
