Off-duty IMPD officer shoots and injures a man on Indy’s East Side

This story has been updated.

An off-duty Indianapolis police officer shot a man early Saturday morning after shots were fired inside a bar on the city’s East Side.

The off-duty officer was working at Bubbaz Bar and Grill when gunfire rang out inside the bar on East Washington Street just before 2 a.m., according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

The officer then shot the alleged gunman, who was later identified as 31-year-old Mar-Kel Sampson.

Sampson was arrested for battery with a deadly weapon and pointing a firearm. IMPD detectives allege that the off-duty officer shot Sampson after he shot another person. 

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will make the final charging decisions. 

A man and a woman were injured during the shooting incident inside the bar, according to IMPD. 

IMPD did not report any other injuries. No deaths were reported as of Sunday night. 

The off-duty officer who shot Sampson is now on administrative leave, per the department’s standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting investigation.

IMPD Internal Affairs is conducting a separate administrative investigation, according to the department.

The civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board — which reviews instances in which police officers use deadly force — will conduct a mandatory hearing after the conclusion of the criminal process, IMPD said.

The officer involved in the shooting was equipped with a body camera during the incident, according to IMPD.