Indianapolis marks 100th homicide during violent weekend – at least 22 shot

Updated 1 p.m. Monday

Indianapolis marked its 100th homicide of the year during a violent weekend where at least 22 people were shot, including three children.

Between 4 p.m. Friday and 3 a.m. Monday, there were at least 17 incidents of gun violence across the city. Shootings happened during an argument on the city’s northeast side, where a woman was also stabbed. At a party on the east side, two men were arrested after a 12-year-old was found shot. Some incidents were also self-inflicted. A woman was also accidentally shot while trying to take a gun from her husband, who was having a mental health crisis.

An 8-year-old and 11-year-old were also transported to area hospitals after what police are calling accidental shootings.

In a video statement released Monday, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Randal Taylor said the accidental shootings of children were avoidable. Taylor urged gun owners to secure their firearms.

"This means storing them locked, unloaded and keep your ammunition separate from the weapon," Taylor said.

The homicide was the only death police reported over the weekend.

Mayor Joe Hogsett released a statement Saturday morning addressing the violence and drawing attention to the incidents involving children.

"Last night, gun violence harmed several people across Indianapolis, including multiple children who sustained injuries in separate accidental shootings. Yet their true cause was no accident,” the statement read. “I share the anger of our community in the proliferation and reckless use of firearms in Indianapolis, and pledge to continue fighting for common-sense gun safety measures to protect our most vulnerable."

Republican mayoral candidate Jefferson Shreve also released a statement Sunday evening urging Hogsett to hire a public safety director.

“I share in the mayor’s grief over these lost lives, but how much more violence does Mayor Hogsett need to witness before taking action?” Shreve said in the statement. “In response to the violent weekend, Hogsett tweeted a statement saying he ‘shares in the anger of our community.’ That is not enough. I urge the mayor to be more than just angry – I urge him to act.”

In 2022, the city recorded 95 homicides in about the same time period.

Incidents reported by IMPD include:

Friday

4:21 p.m., 3500 block of Colorado Avenue: One woman was shot and another woman was stabbed in what police said was a fight between the two. The investigation remains active and no arrests have been made. 

5:20 p.m., 8100 block of River Bay Drive East: One person is in critical condition from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

5:33 p.m., 4000 block of Brenton Street: An 8-year-old was transported to Riley Hospital with an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound. The child is in stable condition.

9:17 p.m., 2900 block of Station Street: A man with injuries from a gunshot wound died. This was the city’s 100th homicide of the year. IMPD homicide detectives are investigating and will release the victim’s name and exact manner of death. There is no suspect information. 

10:22 p.m., 4100 block of South Post Road: A 11-year-old girl was transported to an area hospital with an accidental gunshot wound and is in critical condition.

Saturday

3:16 a.m., Eskenazi Hospital: A man walked into the hospital with a gunshot wound. He is listed in stable condition with a graze wound. No crime scene has been located, but preliminary information from police suggests the incident may have happened near East Washington Street and East Parkview Avenue.

4:10 a.m., 60 Block of East Pearl Street: Officers found two individuals with gunshot wounds. A third person with a gunshot wound was found in the 200 block of South Meridian Street. All were transported to area hospitals and all are in stable condition. 

6:43 p.m., Community East Hospital: A person walked into the hospital with a gunshot wound. No crime scene has been located, but preliminary information from police suggests the incident may have occurred near the 3700 block of North Post Road after a possible driving dispute.

9:45 p.m., South East Street and Lincoln Street: A person was found with a gunshot wound and is in serious but stable condition. Police believed the shooting incident happened in the 200 block of East Caven Street.

10:23 p.m., Eskenazi Hospital: A person walked into the hospital with a gunshot wound. They are listed in stable condition. No crime scene has been located, but preliminary information from police suggests the incident may have occurred near East 42nd Street and North Arlington Avenue.

Sunday

1:20 a.m., Methodist Hospital: A person walked into the hospital with a gunshot wound. They are in critical condition. It is believed the shooting incident occurred in the 600 block of South High School Road.

2:01 a.m., 70 block of Devon Avenue: A 12-year-old boy was transported to an area hospital with a gunshot wound and is in stable condition. IMPD detectives found there was a party at a short-term rental property in the area. Two men, 18-year-old Usif Muhmmad and 19-year-old Peyton Minor, were arrested during the investigation for narcotics and other offenses. Both men arrested were armed. Detectives are still determining the exact role the men arrested had in the shooting.

3:23 a.m., West 16th Street and Tibbs Avenue: Officers found two people with gunshot wounds, one in critical condition and one in serious condition.

7:02 a.m., Community East Hospital: Officers found two men with gunshot wounds, both in stable 5:43 p.m., 3700 block of Roseway Lane: A person with a gunshot wound took themself to the hospital in stable condition.

9:01 p.m., South State Avenue and Palmer Street: Officers found two people with gunshot wounds and a third with trauma-related injuries. Police report the shooting was the result of a dispute and fight between two men. Detectives are still determining who is responsible for the shooting. According to IMPD, one of the men involved in the fight, 31-year-old Damien Boyce, pulled out a gun and hit the other involved man with a brick. Boyce fled the scene and broke into a nearby residence with a gun. He  was later arrested for burglary, unlawful possession, criminal recklessness, and battery.

Monday

3:02 a.m, St. Francis South Hospital: Police report a wife was accidentally shot as she attempted to take a handgun away from her husband, who was having a mental health crisis. She is in stable condition. The husband was placed under detention and transported to Eskenazi Hospital.

All information reported by IMPD is preliminary and subject to change.

Contact digital editor Lauren Bavis at lbavis@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @lauren_bavis.