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Coroner ID’s victim in Sunday shooting; neighborhood searches for change

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Police are investigating after a Sunday night shooting left one person dead.

It happened at about 10:30 p.m.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says an argument likely led to this shooting. 26-year-old Christopher S. Joseph was shot in the chest and killed.

Two other people were injured in the shooting, 24-year-old Kevin Miller suffered non-life threatening injuries.  A third person, a female victim, was only identified as a 16 year old. She was shot in the foot.

But people in the neighborhood aren’t taking this latest shooting in stride, it has actually giving them a call to action.

“I wanted it to start with us. I wanted to set an example for the community,” said Twanda Parks, as she cleaned up the garbage left behind by the group.

“This is Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard and I believe in serving my community,” said Porshea Johnson, who was helping her mother.

The two were cleaning up liquor bottles, cups and everything else left behind.

Police tape was still tied around posts, and bullet holes in storefronts.

“There were hundreds of people down here. You start letting rounds off, those bullets, they’re just going to go,” said Commander Michael Jefferson, with IMPD.

IMPD says the gathering happens every Sunday night. They say they’ve had issues in the past and increased patrols. The shooting last night started with an argument.

“Just another example of senseless violence that we have to go through everyday. Very unfortunate,” said Jefferson.

But those who live and work in the neighborhood experienced a different Sunday. Hours before the shooting, there was a block party to highlight the black-owned businesses in the neighborhood.

“There was never any sign of anything other than just happiness and joy going on in that entire event,” said Dominic Dorsey, the president of DON’T SLEEP.

DON’T SLEEP organized the block party that happened Sunday afternoon. He says there were over 90 vendors, thousands of people showed up and there was zero violence.

“We didn’t have any police presence at our event, not a single person. We didn’t have any official security or anything that. We were just out there having a good time,” said Dorsey.

Dorsey says the issues the neighborhood is facing stem from lack of access to food. He says hunger is a product of poverty and poverty leads to crime.

“What we want to do is to kind of take this area and make this back to what it was once before. Trying to re-surge that black Wall Street,” said Dorsey.

Dorsey says his group is planning to have other block parties to show what they have to offer in this neighborhood.

As for the investigation, IMPD brought in three people for questioning last night.

But they say none of them have been arrested. One of the people brought in was carrying an AR-15.