A Year of Indianapolis Gun Deaths

From homicides to suicides, self-defense to police shootings, Marion County and Indianapolis gun violence claimed close to 200 lives last year.

KEY

= Homicide               = Suspect known/charged

= Suicide                   = Handgun

= Police action         = Rifle or assault rifle

= Self-defense          = Shotgun

 

JANUARY

January 1, 4:35 p.m.
 White female 46, at home • 7600 block Orchard Village Dr., south side 

January 2, 12:44 a.m.
Tyrell Alford 16, black male • 2400 block E. Graydon St., near-east side
After agreeing to meet a high-school classmate, later identified as Ronell Watkins, 17, at Good News Ministries, Alford was allegedly ambushed by Watkins and another friend, ordered to lie on the ground, and shot in the chest—becoming the year’s first homicide victim. Prosecutors said the attack was retaliation for Alford selling a broken gun to a rival gang. The second assailant, 15, was charged in juvenile court, and his identity was not disclosed.

January 2, 4:45 p.m.
Black male 43, at home • 1200 block W. 33rd St., west side

January 2, 5 p.m.
William Dulin 50, black male • 2200 block E. 10th St., near-east side
Dulin was found lying in the snow near the John H. Boner Community Center with multiple gunshot wounds in his head, neck, and torso.

January 2, 11:59 p.m.
Timothy Jackson 53, white male • 7200 block U.S. 31 S, south side
In December 2013, Jackson attacked Brinks truck driver Dorian Thomas with a stun gun and Mace in a Walmart parking lot in an attempt to rob Thomas as he carried a bag of cash out of the store. Thomas shot Jackson, who was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, and a bystander with a handgun tackled him as he tried to flee. He died in the hospital in January.

January 4, 3 a.m.
Kyle Jobin 19, white male • 7000 block E. 56th St., Lawrence
Jobin pulled into a gas station while he was home from college at Vincennes University, when four men tried to force their way into his car and then shot him in the head.

January 5, 7:40 p.m.
Deshawn Ward 19, black male • 900 block King Ave., Haughville
Two men shot Ward and his brother in a home invasion during a snowstorm. Ward took a single, fatal gunshot to the chest. The brother was hit five times but survived.

January 6, 8:39 p.m.
Raul Tlapaltotoli Rueda 35, Hispanic male • 8200 block Heatherton Ct., Castleton
Before Rueda died in the hospital with two shots in the stomach and another in the shoulder, he told police two men with handguns had approached him in the laundry facility of his apartment complex. They made off with his wallet. Authorities later arrested James Jenkins, 20, for the shooting.

January 9, 7:06 p.m.
White male 41, at home • 5500 block Mooresville Rd., southwest side

January 14, 6:34 p.m.
Ray Ivory Jr. 34, black male • 1500 block Cumberland Rd., east side
A 16-year-old suspect, later identified as Avis Lacy and charged as an adult in Ivory’s death, allegedly shot the victim in the head during a robbery attempt.

January 15, 7:59 p.m.
Dayeon Johnson 20, black male; Katrina White 20, black female • 1300 block W. 18th St., near-west side
In front of White’s home, a barrage of bullets struck the blue Buick in which she and Johnson were sitting, leaving 17 spent shell casings on the street outside the vehicle. Investigators could not immediately determine a motive or identify any suspects.

January 19, 9:30 a.m.
John Sullivan 49, white male • 1800 block S. Belmont Ave., near-west side
A woman visiting a house used as a dog shelter found Sullivan shot dead in the basement. Investigators believed Sullivan, a pizza-delivery driver, had been lured to the home and robbed. Authorities caught up with Jeremiah Roberts, 26, and Derek Romano, 21, in Wyoming and charged them with murder. A second Indy pizza driver was robbed, shot, and killed less than two weeks later.

January 21, 11:20 a.m.
Keith Koster 54, white male • 8200 block Harcourt Rd., north side
A concerned friend called police to Koster’s home, and when a SWAT team arrived, he warned them not to enter and then pointed a gun at them. He was shot and killed by an officer.

January 22, 6:39 p.m.
Sayyid Abdul-Haqq 16, black male • 2800 block Embassy Row, Speedway
Abdul-Haqq was walking home from the library when an unknown assailant shot him once in the back in the parking lot of the apartments where the victim lived with his brother.

January 27, 9:28 p.m.
Troy Grayson 38, black male • 2300 block E. 38th St., east side
Police found Grayson shot dead in the driver’s seat of his car, along with a wounded passenger. Shell casings were spread over a broad area near the McDonald’s by the intersection of 38th and Keystone, indicating the shooter might have been in a vehicle as well.

January 28, 7:05 p.m.
William Davis II 25, black male; Tyrece Dorsey 23, black male • 1800 block N. Rural St., near-east side
John Means, 21, was allegedly hired to kill Dorsey over Dorsey’s relationship with a third person, and shot the victims outside of a gas station. He was also charged with committing another double homicide a few days later.

January 31, 7:01 p.m.
Daniel Jaffke 30, white male • 4100 block Continental Ct., south side
Jaffke had just delivered a Papa John’s pizza when the couple who ordered it walked outside their apartment and found him lying facedown and shot in the chest. The suspect, later identified as Shawn Wilson and convicted in August, drove off in Jaffke’s Jeep Cherokee. Jaffke was the second pizza-delivery driver found dead in Indianapolis in less than two weeks.

 

125: Marion County gun homicides in 2014. In the particularly deadly year of 1998, 123 of the city’s 163 homicides involved firearms.

FEBRUARY

February 1, 1:22 a.m.
Julius Douglas 23, black male; Carlos Jefferson Jr. 22, black male • 3400 block N. Hovey St., near-north side
One of the men was found shot inside of a truck, and the other on the ground near the back of the vehicle. John Means, 21, was allegedly hired to kill Douglas over a dispute with another person and was later charged in that and an additional double murder that had occurred a few days earlier. Jefferson’s father, Carlos Jefferson Sr., was the victim of a fatal shooting in April.

February 3, 10 p.m.
Raymond Burris 20, black male • 10000 block John Marshall Dr. N, east side
Burris was shot when he walked out of his girlfriend’s apartment. The motive was not immediately clear. Investigators recovered a 9-millimeter pistol at the scene.

February 4, 10:36 a.m.
White male 84, at home • 4200 block Medina Way, south side

February 5, 12:08 a.m.
White male 31, at home • 11100 block Wismar Dr., east side

February 5, 4:18 p.m.
White male 42, at home • 00 block S. Fleming St., west side

February 7, 5:17 a.m.
Black male 78, at home • 2600 block Kessler Blvd. E. Dr., Glendale

February 8, 2:58 p.m.
Dustin Woods 28, white male • 6200 block W. Washington St., west side
Investigators believed two suspects approached Woods, visiting from Terre Haute, at the Regal 8 Inn motel and left him with a single gunshot wound to the head before driving off in his Nissan Altima. Investigators found narcotics at the scene of what they believed was a drug deal gone bad, and later arrested Eric Johnson and Alejandro Mauricio—who engaged a SWAT team in a five-hour standoff before surrendering.

February 12, 9:26 p.m.
Dawnta Civils 19, black male • 2600 block Brookside Ave., near-east side
Civils was one of two victims who showed up wounded at the Community East Hospital emergency room, and investigators found shell casings in the street at the address where the men were believed to have been shot.

February 17, 8:20 a.m.
White male 46, at home • 4900 block W. 15th St., Speedway

February 17, 10:27 a.m.
White male 23, under an interstate overpass • 4600 block Madison Ave., south side

February 18, 9:12 p.m.
Hispanic male 34, at home • 3600 block Moller Ct., west side

February 20, 9:30 a.m.
Leroy Barker Jr. 50, black male • 2100 block N. Kenyon St., east side
Found dead in his home with two gunshot wounds to the head, Barker’s was the first death in a bloody spate that would claim seven more victims in less than a day.

February 20, 4:46 p.m.
Quinton Nance 16, black male • 600 block E. 23rd St., Fall Creek Place
Nance was shot dead in an alley. Authorities later charged a 17-year-old with the murder.

February 20, 8:07 p.m.
Walter Burnell 47, white male; Hayley Navarra 21, Hispanic female; Jacob Rodemich 43, white male; Kristy Mae Sanchez 22, white female • 3400 block S. Parker Ave., south side
Police found the four victims shot in Burnell’s home. Prosecutors later charged two men and two women on a tip from an informant who worked for Burnell’s meth-dealing operation. Three other unrelated shooting deaths occurred in the city during the same eight-hour span.

February 21, 12:39 a.m.
Lorenzo Clark Jr. 22, black male; Michael Whitfield 27, black male • 2400 block Stuart St., Brightwood
Police investigating reported gunshots at the house found Whitfield dead in the kitchen and Clark in critical condition; he later died in the hospital.

February 25, 9:44 a.m.
White male 56, at home • 8100 block Patton Dr., Lawrence

 

39 percent: Marion County gun-homicide victims who were male, black, and under the age of 30. White males under 30 made up only 5 percent of gun homicides (although white males of all ages accounted for two-thirds of suicides by firearm).

 

MARCH

March 1, 1 p.m.
Chad Jackson 41, black male • 11300 block Whistler Dr., east side
After an apparent argument, police found Jackson lying near his Chevy Impala with multiple gunshot wounds and suspect Kevin Hughes, 25, still at the scene. A 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun was taken into evidence by investigators.

March 2, 2:30 a.m.
White male 31, at home • 00 block E. 14th St., downtown

March 4, 10 p.m.
White male 48, at home • 300 block N. 14th Ave., Beech Grove

March 5, 7:36 p.m.
Andrew Sizemore 27, white male • 1600 block S. State Ave., near-south side
A SWAT-team raid on a suspected drug operation near Fountain Square led to a shootout that left suspect Sizemore dead and four officers wounded. Police found heroin, eight shotguns, four rifles, and a .32-caliber revolver at the scene.

March 12, 6:19 p.m.
White male 55, at another’s residence • 4700 block S. Madison Ave., south side

March 15, 7:30 p.m.
White male 67, at home • 8700 block Sawleaf Rd., north side

March 16, 10:06 p.m
Black male 24, at home • 6000 block Hickory Forge Ct., northwest side

March 18, 1 p.m.
Audrell Lunsford 34, black male • 2100 block Shelburne Dr., northwest side Police found the disabled Lunsford shot in the head and lying just inside the door of his apartment.

March 19, 2:21 a.m.
Timmy Moorman 20, white male • 5000 block Brookville Rd., southeast side Moorman was found shot in the head in the basement; another man at the home was shot in the chest but survived. Authorities identified the shooter as Richard Burns Jr., Moorman’s uncle. Burns’s father later claimed that prior to the shooting, Burns seemed to be upset about his childhood and his mother’s death. He had been the subject of several shooting investigations prior to the incident.

March 21, 8 p.m.
White male 28, at home • 5900 block E. 16th St., east side

March 28, noon
Shannon Kleeman 21, white female • 600 block N. Linwood Ave., east side An apparent shotgun blast to the head killed Kleeman, whom her sister found in the basement. Authorities later charged next-door neighbor Morice Ervin, 51, with rape and murder. 

March 30, 6:15 a.m.
White male 69, at home • 9200 block Northeastern Ave., southeast side

March 30, 2:41 p.m.
Ho Lee 36, Asian male • 2800 block E. 38th St., east side A friend of the owners of Body Gear, Ho was helping at the store when he was shot in the head while trying to stop several shoplifters. A 19-year-old bystander was shot in the leg. Two teenage men were charged in the shooting.

March 30, 11:35 p.m.
James Czajkowski 59, white male; Stephen Herald 58, white male; Martha Zuluaga 54, Hispanic female • 9500 block Shoreland Ct., east side One of the victims was found lying outside in the Marina Apartments complex. The other two were inside, where investigators found evidence of drug activity. Keith Clark, 25, and Deandre Kendrick, 24, were charged in the killings. Kendrick was also charged in the April 16 murder of Ronald Howard Jr.

March 31, 2:30 p.m. White male 79, at home • 800 block Westbrook Ave., west side

APRIL

April 1, 5:51 a.m. Nathan Trapuzzano 24, white male • 3500 block W. 16th St., west side Trapuzzano was taking a morning walk when two men attacked him behind a tire store. He died from a single gunshot to the abdomen. 13 WTHR Indianapolis

April 2, 9:30 a.m.
Andre Spencer-Brown 56, black male • 00 block S. Wallace Ln., east side
Police responded when a maintenance worker found Brown shot dead in a carport at the Bankers Lane apartments near Irvington. They confiscated a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol at the scene.

April 4, 10:30 p.m.
Joshua Luecking 39, white male • 1100 block N. Ewing St., near-east side
Police found Luecking dead inside a house after responding to a report of a person shot, one of three Indianapolis firearm fatalities recorded in the same night.

April 4, 11:21 p.m.
Terry Hunter 21, black male; Roemello Carney 19, black male • 9200 block Beech Tree Ct., east side
A red Chevy Lumina was parked on the street with the passenger-side door open and the two victims shot dead inside.

April 7, 8:14 p.m.
White male 20, at home • 4300 block Greenway Dr., northeast side

April 9, 4:21 p.m.
Jerome Warren 48, black male • 5600 block E. 20th St., east side
Warren was allegedly shot by Curtis Foster, 43, during an altercation, reportedly because Foster expected him to pay his ex-wife’s drug debt. Police took a semiautomatic handgun into evidence.

April 12, 4:11 a.m.
Trent Wilson Sr. 47, black male • 3600 block E. 25th St., east side
A fight spilled out of the Capital Punishment motorcycle club and turned to gunfire that left Wilson shot numerous times.

April 14, 4 p.m.
White male 55, at home • 600 block S. Cole St., west side

April 16, 1:16 a.m.
Ronald Howard Jr. 29, black male • 2900 block N. Gladstone Ave., near-east side
Police found Howard dead in an SUV and a second shooting victim in critical condition on a nearby porch. Investigators uncovered evidence of drug activity at the scene. They later arrested Deandre Kendrick, 24, and Michael Campbell, 25. Kendrick was also charged in a triple homicide that occurred on March 31.

April 17, 5 p.m.
Ryan Anders 32, white male; Kimberlee Carmack 45, white female • 2400 block Inishmore Ct., west side
Anders, an IMPD sergeant, broke into the home of Carmack, his ex-wife and a fellow IMPD officer. He shot her and then himself.

April 17, 10:15 p.m.
White female 48, at home • 7300 block Jackie Ct., southwest side

April 18, 2:30 p.m.
White female 25, at home • 600 block E. 62nd St., Broad Ripple

April 20, 12:58 p.m.
White female 45, at home • 1200 block Hiatt St., near-south side

April 23, 12:30 a.m.
Kevin Coughlin 55, white male • 1000 block W. 34th St., near-north side
Coughlin was bound and lying in an alley. Police determined he’d been the victim of carjacking.

April 24, 1 p.m.
Randall Parker 32, black male • 4500 block Rosewood Commons Way, northwest side
Police surmised Parker was the victim of a drive-by after witnesses reported seeing a car speed away from the scene.

April 24, 10:20 p.m.
Carlos Jefferson 43, black male • 3600 block Lesley Ave., east side
Jefferson was found dead in a driveway. His son, Carlos Jefferson Jr., was shot and killed in February.

April 28, 4:07 p.m.
Nathan Williams 19, black male • 3500 block Blue Spruce Ln., east side
Officers responded to reports of shots fired at 38th and Sherman, and located Williams on the sidewalk in a nearby apartment complex.

April 29, 1:26 a.m.
Cortez Moton 19, black male • 4600 block N. Abington Dr., northwest side
Moton turned up dead in a Volkswagen Jetta stolen from Hamilton County and parked at an apartment complex, with bullet holes through the passenger-side door.

April 29, 6:24 p.m.
Christopher Middlebrook 25, black male • 3500 block N. Hawthorne Ln., east side
Middlebrook lay in the street with multiple gunshots to the groin before responders transported him to the hospital, where he died on June 5.

 

$25,666: Median household income in 46218, the eastside ZIP code with the most 2014 gun homicides (31). The county median is $42,334.

MAY

May 3, noon
Black male 19, inside a car • 400 block W. 9th St., downtown

May 7, 8:17 a.m.
White male 65, at home • 4100 block Spann Ave., east side

May 9, 9:49 p.m.
Terrace Holmes 22, black male • 3900 block E. New York St., near-east side
Officers arrived to two shooting victims at the intersection of New York and Denny streets and then encountered two more in a nearby alley. Three of the men were taken to the hospital in stable condition. Accused shooter Tyree Brodley, 20, was also struck by gunfire.

May 10, 3:26 a.m.
Michael Willoughby 34, white male • 1200 block S. Girls School Rd., west side
A fight at Sully’s Bar and Grill left Willoughby dead in the parking lot. Shooter Devin Brookins, 25, later made arrangements through the Ten Point Coalition to meet police at a church and turn himself in.

May 13, 10:48 a.m.
White female 55, at home • 3500 block Bay Road N. Dr., northeast side

May 15, 12:40 a.m.
White male, 77, outside of a business • 4000 block S. Keystone Ave., south side

May 17, 5:45 a.m.
White male 26, at home • 1600 block McCollough Ct., north side

May 18, 2 p.m.
Rickey Hunt Jr. 29, black male • 4100 block N. Tacoma Ave., east side
Hunt was left in the street with multiple wounds. He died a few hours later in the hospital.

May 19, 9:47 p.m.
Stranger Dunn 34, black male ; Valdemar Enriquez 22, Hispanic male; Esker Dodson-Walker 33, black male • 5200 block Lakemanor Dr., northwest side
The three men were hit during an attempted drug robbery that sent stray bullets into a nearby home, injuring a 10-year-old girl. Investigators found heroin and guns at the scene and charged Montrel Humphrey, 20, of Gary with the murder. Observers have speculated involvement by a Mexican drug cartel.

May 19, 11:03 p.m.
Patrick Martin 24, black male • 4000 block Boulevard Pl., Butler-Tarkington
In an apparent drug robbery, two men broke in and shot Martin, who was visiting friends. Eight children were in the house at the time.

May 24, 2:10 a.m.
Max Levine 25, black male • 4900 block W. 30th St., Speedway
Levine came from Kokomo for the Indy 500 and didn’t make it back home alive; a fight escalated and left him dead in the Coke parking lot with two shots in the back. Avory Johnson, 19, was later arrested. It was believed to be the first homicide near Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race weekend in 16 years.

May 26, 4:10 p.m.
Christopher Pippin 19, black male • 400 block N. Denny St., near-east side
A Memorial Day shooting left one man injured and Pippin dead in an attic with multiple wounds. His mother learned of the killing on the way to a family barbecue; she had planned to see him later that day.

May 29, 1:45 p.m.
Michael Brown Jr. 21, black male; Antonio Lee Jr. 30, black male • 3100 block Graceland Ave., near-north side
Officers arrived at the site of an accident to find Lee and Brown inside a Chevy Impala. Lee was DOA; Brown died at the hospital.

May 30, 7:12 a.m.
Quintico Goolsby 36, black male; Inity Morrow 30, black female; Julia Morrow 84, black female • 2600 block N. Dearborn St., Brightwood
Police dispatch received an urgent call from the home of a grandmother and granddaughter, and heard screams in the background. When IMPD officer Greg Milburn arrived, Goolsby shot at the policeman’s stomach and struck his bullet-resistant vest. Milburn returned fire and killed Goolsby. The women’s bodies were found inside.

 

JUNE

June 4, 10:17 p.m.
Harry Briggs 45, white male • 5200 block W. Troy Ave., Mars Hill
A robber shot Briggs, a gas-station attendant, in the head, and in surveillance footage appeared to skip out of the store. Desi Thomas, 22, who lived in a nearby apartment complex, was later arrested.

June 5, 9:47 p.m.
Joshua Tucker 31, white male • 1300 block Edgecombe Ave., south side
Neighbor Albert Rogers shot Tucker in the driveway during an altercation over Tucker’s dog and told investigators he acted in self-defense. Tucker was carrying a gun, but witnesses claimed he never drew it. Police charged Rogers with the crime a week later.

June 6, 7:56 p.m.
Louis Myers Jr. 48, black male • 4000 block Meadows Dr., east side
Myers was found dead in his car with multiple gunshots at Phoenix Apartments, the victim of an apparent robbery. Aaron Smith, 22, was later arrested in the shooting.

June 9, 10:36 p.m.
William Watson 42, black male • 3000 block Winthrop Ave., near-north side
Watson lay in a backyard; a man in the alley, Robert Johnson, was taken to the hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds. Police discovered cash at the scene and believed the men had a gambling dispute.

June 11, 3:25 a.m.
David Dullen 36, black male • 2500 block Brookside Parkway N Dr., near-east side
A woman pulled up to Methodist Hospital with Dullen, suffering from multiple gunshots, in her car. Investigators found bullet holes in a minivan and the side of a house in the area where they believed Dullen was shot.

June 11, 10:45 p.m.
Asian male 60, at home • 5300 block N. Kercheval Dr., Lawrence

June 12, 5:26 p.m.
Emeterio Velazquez 19, Hispanic male • 3300 block W. Washington St., near-west side
A native of Las Choapas in Veracruz, Mexico, Velazquez was shot multiple times and buried in a shallow grave in a wooded area along Little Eagle Creek.

June 14, 10:45 a.m.
White male 56, at home • 5300 block W. 10th St., Speedway

June 16, 12:15 a.m.
Wendell Vanbuskirk 47, white male • 3100 block S. McClure St., southwest side
A shootout erupted after Vanbuskirk reportedly showed up and attacked his girlfriend’s mother with a bat. The woman’s husband, Quincy Franklin, 52, shot and killed Vanbuskirk, and the other men with Vanbuskirk allegedly returned fire and hit two women—one in the face. The incident stemmed from an altercation at an earlier Father’s Day gathering.

June 18, 9:26 p.m.
White male 41, at home • 300 block Robton St., west side

June 22, 11:30 p.m.
Marcus Ellison 31, black male • 3700 block N. Oxford St., east side
Ellison was transported to Eskenazi Hospital with gunshots to the upper body and left arm. He died more than a week later.

June 23, 3:57 p.m.
White male 58, at home • 4800 block W. 34th St., Eagledale

June 27, 7:30 a.m.
Darien Val 20, black male • 1100 block W. 35th St., near-north side
After responding to reports of shots fired in the area the night before, police returned to find Val in his home, along with marijuana and dice.

June 30, 9:54 p.m.
White female 64, at home • 1800 block Glendora Dr., west side

 

66,813: Gun licenses active in Marion County in the second quarter of 2014—a 19 percent increase over the same period in 2013.

JULY

July 5, 2:25 a.m.
White female 55, at home • 100 block N. 13th Ave., Beech Grove

July 5, 9:10 p.m.
Officer Perry Renn 51, white male • 4000 block E. 34th St., east side
Responding to a report of shots fired, police exchanged gunfire in an alley with suspect Major Davis Jr. Officer Renn was struck multiple times and died at the hospital.

July 7, 3 p.m.
Michael Hall 49, black male • 6100 block Patoka Lake Dr., northwest side
Hall was shot in the head in a possible murder-suicide: A woman, DeAnna Brooks, 46, was also dead in the house with no signs of trauma, a vehicle was running in the garage, and high levels of carbon monoxide were detected.

July 12, 10:30 a.m.
Dexter Smith 31, black male • 1800 block Heather Ct., east side
Smith’s wife arrived home to find he’d been killed, evidently during a robbery. Authorities issued a warrant for Octavio Gonzales, 24, whom they thought fled to Atlanta.

July 13, 9:36 p.m.
White male 93, at home • 2200 block Oak Run Pl., north side

July 14, 12:05 a.m.
Bruce Gunn 58, white male • 8700 block Gunpowder Dr., Castleton
Gunn’s brother-in-law, Billy Brantley, told police he shot Gunn after Gunn attacked his sister and nephew.

July 20, 8:55 a.m.
White male 51, at Crown Hill Cemetery • 700 W. 38th St., near-north side

July 21, 8:20 p.m.
Ja’Vonne Ellis 15, black male • East 38th and Station streets, east side
Ellis was shot in a parking lot after walking out of Walgreens. Police identified two teenage suspects in the murder. Ellis would have been a sophomore at Arsenal Tech in the fall.

July 21, 8:41 p.m.
White male 58, at home • 1900 block Ticen Ct., Beech Grove

July 27, 7:47 a.m.
White male 22, at another’s residence • 200 block N. Miley Ave., near-west side

July 27, 1:01 p.m.
Brandon Ford 17, black male • 3100 block N. College Ave., near-north side
A homeowner shot and killed Ford with an assault rifle when Ford and two other men attempted to break into his house. Ford had previously been involved with the outreach program Young Men Inc., according to reports, but took a bad turn. Ford’s accomplices made off with a Ruger handgun and two TVs. The homeowner, a National Guardsman, had previously been burglarized on Christmas Eve and had several guns stolen.

July 29, 2:39 a.m.
White female 27, at home • 600 block S. Raceway Rd., Clermont

July 31, 10:19 p.m.
White male 30, at spouse’s residence • 1100 block Tennis Court Circle, north side

 

85 percent: Marion County firearm deaths involving handguns in 2014 (in cases where information on gun type was available).

AUGUST

August 1, 11:50 p.m.
Darnell Birdsong 39, black male • 3000 block Eastern Ave., east side
Police found Birdsong dead with multiple gunshot wounds outside of a home, and another wounded man who was taken to the hospital. An arrest warrant was issued for Anthony Sullivan, 22.

August 2, 8 p.m.
Jimi Madison Jr. 26, black male • 5700 block Chensford Dr., Lawrence
A witness in the Salem Courthouse apartment complex heard a shot and looked out the window to see Madison in the street. A handgun was lying nearby.

August 3, 6:24 p.m.
White female 49, in Southeastway Park • 5600 block S. Carroll Rd., southeast side

August 5, 11:41 p.m.
White male 66, at home • 4700 block Glastonbury Ct., south side

August 7, 3:18 p.m.
Erick Williams 39, black male • 600 block E. 49th St., South Broad Ripple
Williams was shot in the head in his home behind the Upland Brewing tasting room on North College Avenue. His wife, Nicko Bryant-Williams, 42, was charged in the murder.

August 7, 3:55 p.m.
Herbert Dillard 34, black male • Roosevelt and Valley avenues, Hillside
A passerby saw the victim lying in the street and notified police, who found him surrounded by spent shell casings.

August 10, 1:03 a.m.
Joshua Higgins 22, black male; Candice Hunter 24, black female • 6400 block Park Central Dr. W., Meridian Hills
Higgins shot Hunter, his girlfriend, in the head during a fight outside an apartment. Two young children were inside. Higgins exchanged gunfire with police before shooting himself in the head.

August 16, 6:57 a.m.
Timothy Guyton 46, black male • 900 block N. Rural St., near-east side
Police found the deceased in a home and determined Anthony Middleton, 39, shot him over an argument.

August 19, 8:15 a.m.
White male 34, at home • 1200 block N. Pennsylvania St., downtown

August 20, 6:11 p.m.
Timothy Lenges 41, white male • 6100 block E. 32nd St., east side
Lenges’s teenage daughter found him shot in the chest in his home. Investigators had difficulty interviewing his friends because many of them, like Lenges, were deaf.

August 20, 7:30 p.m.
White male 16, at home • 800 block Prairie Depot, west side

August 24, 12:30 p.m.
Black female 19, at home • 2100 block N. Catherwood Ave., east side

August 27, 8:17 p.m.
Cordale Williams 27, black male • 9300 block E. 44th St., northeast side
Williams was shot in the face while sitting in the passenger’s seat of a vehicle, but the driver wasn’t injured. Williams, a former National Guardsman and member of the Indianapolis Tornadoes minor-league football team, died in the hospital two days later.

 

SEPTEMBER

September 5, 4:29 a.m.
Ernest Drake III 35, black male • 3100 block N. Gladstone Ave., near-east side
Drake had multiple wounds, and police recognized him from other investigations. They believed the crime was drug-related.

September 5, 9:54 p.m.
Michael Summers 23, black male • 4800 block Laurel Cr., Devington
Police responded to a report that someone was lying in the street and bleeding. They arrived to find Summers shot in the head.

September 7, 4:50 a.m.
White male 44, along railroad tracks • 1800 block Churchman Ave., near-south side

September 7, 8:53 p.m.
Kayalleiujah Gibson 16, black male • 4300 block E. 34th St., east side
Gibson was out riding his bike in his neighborhood when he took a fatal shot to the stomach. DeAngelo Hill, 17, was charged in that and the September 12 murder of Tajh Johnson. The shooting occurred just two blocks from where IMPD officer Perry Renn was killed in July.

September 8, 6:17 a.m.
Jason Pedro 24, white male • 2600 block W. Michigan St., Haughville
James Schlenkert, 27, shot Pedro three times in the head, and then told police Pedro tried to rob him at an ATM across from IMPD’s West District headquarters. Schlenkert was later indicted by a grand jury.

September 11, 7:30 p.m.
White male 54, at home • 1000 block Bradbury Ct., near-south side

September 12, 7:30 a.m.
White male 16, at home • 2800 block Addison Meadows Ln., southeast side

September 12, 9:51 p.m.
Tajh Johnson 19, black male • 3300 block N. Butler Ave., Devonshire
Police found Johnson lying in the street, shot in the chest. He was the victim of a drive-by shooting and the second teen killed in the area in less than a week. DeAngelo Hill, 17, was later charged in the shooting, as well as in the fatal September 7 shooting of Kayalleiujah Gibson.

September 13, 3:59 a.m.
Kenneth Eversole Sr. 47, white male • 1900 block Shelby St., Bates-Hendricks
Police responded to a call of an unconscious person lying on a sidewalk under a southside overpass and found Eversole shot in the stomach.

September 14, 2:27 a.m.
Ronald Andrews 44, black male • 1000 block N. Warman Ave., Haughville
A woman awoke to the sound of gunshots and called the police after her boyfriend saw Andrews lying dead on the sidewalk near their porch.

September 16, 7:58 p.m.
White male 50, at home • 3300 block Tansel Rd., Clermont

September 17, 9:10 a.m.
Daniel Thompson 28, white male • 3000 block Chase St., Frog Holler
An argument turned to gunfire and left Thompson dead on the ground and another man critically injured in the southside neighborhood.

September 18, 9:11 p.m.
Brandon Jefferson 31, black male • 700 block N. Sheffield Ave., Haughville
An officer patrolling the area heard gunshots. Inquiries in the neighborhood led him to an alley and Jefferson’s body.

September 19, 12:39 a.m.
Darrick Johnson 43, black male • 2100 block N. Post Rd., east side
Johnson was at the Post Pub to celebrate getting a new job and was shot in the neck in an argument outside the bar. He died in the hospital on October 9. The suspect in the shooting, Adam Madison, 28, was later shot and killed by an officer at a police checkpoint in Warrior, Alabama.

September 19, 12:43 p.m.
Robert Hoskins III 19, black male • 3200 block Orchard Ave., near-north side
Hoskins was shot multiple times. Investigators found cash, drugs, and a handgun in the home.

September 20, 2:22 p.m.
White male 27, at home • 4100 block Graceland Ave., Butler-Tarkington

September 21, 5:30 p.m.
White male 76, at home • 100 block Meadow Vue Ct., south side

 

647,550: Background checks for Indiana gun purchases in 2014. The FBI logged 176,520 checks in 2004.

OCTOBER

October 1, 4:24 a.m.
Raul Castaneda-Martinez 36, Hispanic male • 1300 block E. Minnesota St., near-south side
Responding to reports of shots fired, police found the victim with multiple wounds. James Jenkins, 20, was arrested in connection with the murder the following day. Authorities did not immediately specify the motive.

October 8, 9:30 a.m.
Dominic Amey Jr. 23, black male • 3300 block N. Wallace Ave., east side
Police arrived to investigate a report of gunshots, and Amey was dead outside. While looking for evidence they found another, seemingly unrelated gunshot victim, Eric Mathis, 32, dead in a nearby vacant home. A week later, a gunman carjacked a FOX59 crew covering a prayer vigil for Amey and stole their news van.

October 8, 9:30 a.m.
Eric Mathis 32, black male • 3300 block N. Wallace Ave., east side
Police found Mathis’s body with multiple gunshot wounds inside a vacant house while they were investigating the shooting death of Dominic Amey Jr., 23, nearby. They did not believe the deaths were related.

October 19, 8:46 p.m.
Ulric Reid 26, black male • 600 block N. Oxford St., near-east side
Responding to a call, police arrived in the neighborhood and heard gunfire coming from a duplex. They discovered shell casings in an entryway and Reid fatally wounded inside. Investigators believed the shooting might have been drug-related.

October 19, 9:15 p.m.
Terrell Lucas 22, black male • 3700 block S. East St., south side
When police arrived at the GameStop store, Lucas and two other men, Jalil Hannah, 21, and Walter Fells, 23—who stopped in Indianapolis on a trip from Chicago to Tennessee—were allegedly holding employees and customers at gunpoint in a robbery attempt. An officer shot and killed Lucas; the two other men were arrested. The weapon Lucas pointed at officers was later determined to be a pellet gun.

October 20, 4:45 p.m.
Hispanic male 29, in a field • 9100 block W. Washington St., west side

October 24, 8:03 a.m.
Steven Caldwell 32, black male; Cardell Hoston 33, black male • 3900 block Southeastern Ave., near-east side
A woman called police after her son’s girlfriend discovered two dead bodies in an SUV parked outside the house. Neighbors thought they’d heard fireworks the night before.

October 26, 4:24 p.m.
White male 16, at home • 1900 block Heather Ct., east side

October 26, 11:38 p.m.
Ta’jshon Sherman 25, black male • 3700 block Tudor Park Dr., east side
Police spied a body near a light pole and determined it was Sherman. Although Sherman lived as a woman, a detective on the case said it wasn’t being investigated as a hate crime.

October 28, 6:45 p.m.
Brandon Hale 31, black male • 1100 block Chatfield Dr., Broad Ripple
After residents reported hearing gunshots earlier in the morning, Hale’s body was found in the Monon Place apartments with a shot to the chest.

October 29, 8 a.m.
White male 40, at home • 00 block N. 6th Ave., Beech Grove

October 29, 3:01 p.m.
Anthony Holland 20, black male • 1000 block N. Traub Ave., near-west side
A school-bus driver called 911 after seeing Holland run through a yard gripping his stomach. He and another man had been shot in a nearby home and jumped from a window. The second man survived with a leg injury. Holland’s family told reporters his father also died in a shooting.

October 30, 6:30 p.m.
Derrick Thomas 25, black male • 10100 block Ellis Dr., east side
Police quickly rounded up three men and two women for questioning after Thomas’s body was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds near the entrance to an apartment building.

October 31, 4:02 p.m.
Gary Dickerson Jr. 33, black male • 3000 block N. Washington Blvd., Meridian Park
Witnesses reported seeing a group of men talking to Dickerson—who was sitting in a Jeep with two women and a child—just before he was shot. He was lying in the street, shot to death, when police arrived.

 

NOVEMBER

November 4, 6:37 p.m.
White male 64, at home White female 63, at home • 8900 Butternut Ct., north side
The married couple’s son found them deceased along with a revolver, two spent shell casings, and a suicide note.

November 7, 8:29 p.m.
Richard Waldon 20, black male • 1900 block N. Spencer Ave., east side
A friend rushed Waldon, manager of a local hip-hop group, to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. He succumbed to his injuries.

November 9, 12:01 a.m.
DaMoni Troutman 5, black male • 1700 block Century Circle S, northwest side
Another young child shot Troutman in the head after locating a gun inside the apartment where they were staying with a grandmother. The shooter and a third child present were not harmed.

November 9, 3:19 a.m.
White female 37, at home • 5100 block N. Park Ave., Meridian-Kessler

November 9, 2:04 p.m.
White male 26, at home • 1400 block Dunlap Ave., west side

November 10, 6:27 p.m.
Ahmad Beech 21, black male • 700 block N. Bradley Ave., near-east side
Investigators believed that someone drove up to the house where Beech was found, shot him several times, and then fled.

November 12, 7:49 a.m.
Nell Freeman Gladney 58, black female • 500 block N. Rural St., near-east side
Evidence of forced entry was uncovered at Freeman Gladney’s garage just a few feet from where her body lay. She appeared to have been dressed for her job at Macy’s department store, and investigators thought she might have been attacked while walking up on the burglar.

November 15, 9:39 p.m.
Carlos Gaither 37, black male • 3900 block Aspen Way, east side
Gaither’s body was lying just inside the front entrance of a home, where police believe he had fled after being shot during an attempted robbery.

November 18, 2:18 p.m.
Tyerre Allen 25, black male • 2400 block E. 38th St., east side
Allen was allegedly attempting to rob a pawn shop when a customer shot him. Police said Allen was a suspect in other robberies at the time.

November 19, 12:43 a.m.
Derrick Nash 23, black male • 7500 block E. 35th St., east side
Investigators determined Nash was attempting to break into a home when a man inside shot and killed him.

November 20, 7:42 p.m.
Deontae Butler 16, black male; Robert Young 18, black male • 2800 block Freeman Dr., east side
The two teenagers were shot and killed in the Briergate apartment complex. Investigators believed the victims knew their attacker.

November 25, 6:35 p.m.
Dominique Dunes 29, black male • 5900 block Fieldcrest Ln., west side
Dunes was shot in the chest in the Cloverleaf apartment complex off of I-465, and he later died in the hospital. Witnesses saw a man in a gray hoodie run from the scene.

November 29, 12:39 p.m.
White male 82, at home • 8800 block Madison Ave., south side

 

DECEMBER

December 4, 9:43 p.m.
Willie Johnson 50, black male • 300 block W. 28th St., near-north side
A neighbor called the police to report hearing gunshots and seeing someone crash into two vehicles while driving away. Two men had been shot and injured; the next morning, a man noticed Johnson lying dead inside a house.

December 5, 1 a.m.
Tyler Neely 21, black male • 2400 block Highland Pl., near-north side
Police responded to a call from a resident who said a person was down behind their home, and found Neely shot dead.

December 5, 11:22 p.m.
Latosha Elliott-Strickland 36, black female • 5800 block Port Irving Dr., west side
Elliott-Strickland, a Michigan resident, was found shot dead on the floor in the Port-O-Call apartment complex.

December 7, 2:18 a.m.
Trey Moore 20, black male • 6700 block E. 38th St., east side
Moore was one of two men shot outside Club Syllowett, where witnesses say an argument escalated into gunplay. Police found dozens of shell casings.

December 7, 8:15 p.m.
Tony Steenbergen 32, white male • 3900 block N. Tacoma Ave., east side
911 callers saw Steenbergen stagger in the street and then fall down near some parked vehicles. A gun was lying nearby when responders arrived.

December 12, 6:37 p.m.
Ariana Cheeks 20, black female • 1800 block Roosevelt Ave., Hillside
Responding to a report of a person shot, police discovered Cheeks upstairs. Several shell casings were recovered outside the house, as well as a vehicle that had been stolen in a December carjacking.

December 19, 9:20 p.m.
Deandre Twyman 22, black male • 4500 block Devon Ct., Devonshire
Two men kicked in the front door during a home invasion and then fled when the homeowner shot at them. A half-hour later, Twyman showed up with a shot to the stomach at the hospital, where he died; police determined he was one of the suspects in the home invasion. Detectives later arrested two other suspects in connection to the incident.

December 22, 5:50 p.m.
Darius Rose 21, black male • 700 block Roache St., near-north side
In the first of two deadly shootings occurring less than an hour apart, EMS transported Rose from a house near the Central Canal to the hospital with gunshot wounds. He died in surgery a few hours later. Police arrested a 17-year-old for murder and the robbery of drugs and cash.

December 22, 6:16 p.m.
Tyrone Lewis 28, black male • 3200 block N. Station St., east side
A shootout left Lewis dead in the street; another man showed up in the hospital a half-hour later with gunshot wounds and told police he’d been shot near where Lewis was discovered.

December 26, 4:08 p.m.
Jesse Young Jr. 23, black male • 3061 N. Olney St., east side
When police arrived on the day after Christmas, Young was sitting in a running Chevy Trailblazer, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

December 27, 6:21 p.m.
Sherman Moss 37, black male • 2800 block N. Capitol Ave., near-north side
Moss lay dead in a front yard after being hit by gunfire multiple times. A neighbor reported hearing as many as eight shots before police arrived.

December 28, 10:22 p.m.
Dequan Cummings 21, black male • 3100 block E. 10th St., east side
Cummings reportedly broke into an apartment and took the resident’s gun, but the resident and his pregnant fiancee managed to take it back and shoot Cummings.

December 30, 7:34 A.m.
Eric Bane 37, white male • 833 N. Lasalle St., near-east side
Bane was lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the chest as an IFD responder tried unsuccessfully to revive him.

 

CREDITS

Timeline information compiled from public records available at press time. Sources: Marion County Public Health Department; Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department incident reports and media advisories; news stories by The Indianapolis Star, WTHR, WRTV, WISH, and WXIN; and published obituaries.

Statistical sources: Indiana Department of Health; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Indiana State Police; United States Census; FBI and IMPD Uniform Crime Reporting data; and IM timeline research.

Research assistant: Lauren Stark. Additional reporting by Michelle Castillo, Caroline Ralston, Natalie Schumann, and Lindsey Stevens.

 

Indianapolis is coming off one of its deadliest years ever. Under the Gun, from our February 2015 issue, offers a grim look at the violence killing our city.