Family, friends mourn loss of 26-year-old after east side shooting
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Family and friends of a 26-year-old man killed on the east side Thursday night said they don’t know who would shoot him or why. IMPD is trying to answer those questions.
The shooting happened near East 21st Street and North German Church Road around 8 p.m Thursday.
26-year-old Drew Schwier was a passionate sports fan who sold vintage hats and jerseys out of his home. A police captain at the scene said the crime appeared to have started as a robbery.
Detectives said they are investigating whether the crime had anything to do with Drew’s business.
“He was just the classic older brother,” Drew’s brother, Jackson Schwier, said. “There’s nothing like a brotherly friendship like that.”
Robin Lawson lives two doors down from Drew’s home.
“I heard what I thought was firecrackers while I was working in my garage,” Lawson said. “I poke my head out right away, and that’s when I see Drew running toward the street. All the sudden, he falls in the middle of the road.”
Lawson said he didn’t see the shooter, but he did see a bullet hole in Drew’s chest. Lawson’s daughter called 911.
Drew’s friends and family said their best guess is that someone stole from Drew then shot him.
“I think if they just asked that man, he’d give it to them,” Lawson said. “He was a good kid.”
“He had sort of a permanent garage sale in his house at all times,” Jackson said. “People coming and going quite often.”
The Schwiers are a religious family from New Palestine. They’re praying that police find the suspect.
“Drew had a faith in Jesus Christ, and I’m 100 percent confident that I’ll be able to see him again,” Jackson said.
Drew was the oldest of six and a former youth basketball coach. He was an Indy Eleven fan who rarely missed a home game.
According to Jackson, Drew worked downtown at the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs Employment. Jackson said Drew planned on quitting that job to run the vintage clothing company full time.
