3 deadly shootings in 3 hours pushes Indianapolis to 141 homicides for 2020
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Three deadly shootings in a matter of three hours left three people dead Wednesday morning.
The shootings happened on the east, northwest and south sides of the city.
While this news in itself is startling to many, the rate that homicides are happening this year is giving a new perspective to some who are calling the issue of violence in the city “out of control.”
Police were first called to a scene around 6:30 a.m. in the 4200 block of 4216 Moller Road. The home is near 46th Street and Lafayette Road. When police arrived they found a person that had been shot and killed.
Then shortly after police got called to the 400 block of Powell Street. That home is near East Street and Thompson Road. When they arrived, the victim was dead after suffering from a gunshot wound.
Officer Samone Burris, a spokesperson for Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, said, “At this time, it appears to be a random home invasion. There are no additional threats to the area at this time.”
Police are not saying if the shooting happened inside the home or if the person who was shot is the intruder or someone who lives there.
The third shooting happened just before 9 a.m.. A man was found dead at a gas station on Emerson Avenue just off of I-70.
Police are sharing few details about the shootings.
“Anytime we have to respond and a person has lost their life it definitely takes a toll on our community,” IMPD’s Burris said.
A spokesperson for Mayor Joe Hogsett says the mayor is combating violence from every angle, including increased funding in the 2021 budget for violence intervention and prevention based programs. Hogsett went on to say that “curing violence in Indianapolis will require a community-wide effort, and we are committed to empowering residents to promote safety in our neighborhoods.”
Shaunella Lee, who lives in Indianapolis and also works with an organization that delivers food to the homeless every week. She said, “I myself, I don’t think that that solution is coming soon.”
Lee says she has noticed a recent change in the people she serves. She describes them as becoming more unapproachable and on edge after experiencing violence situations themselves.
Indianapolis now sits at 141 homicides for the year. At this time in 2019, that number was at 93.
Anyone with information regarding on the shootings were encouraged to call police or submit your tip anonymously to crime stoppers at 317-262-8477.
