Burglary suspect fatally shot by IMPD may have called 911 in ‘ambush-style attack’
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers are in the middle of investigating a fatal police shooting that happened early Thursday.
IMPD said the shooter may have called 911 to try and ambush officers.
The shooting happened early Thursday on the city’s north side, northeast of Township Line Road and West 79th Street. The call of a burglary came in just after 1:30 am. Officers went the apartments in the 2200 block of Woodglen Drive.
Kelsi Wagner, who lives in the neighborhood, saw the police activity. “It was all through my apartment, just blue and red flashing.”
IMPD said as soon as four officers started walking to an apartment, a man with a rifle immediately start shooting at them outside. The Marion County Coroner’s Office identified the man fatally shot at the scene as 19-year-old McHale Rose.
“All four officers returned fire, striking the male,” said IMPD Chief Randal Taylor explained in a virtual media conference Thursday.
No officers were injured, but there’s a shocking twist.
IMPD said the original 911 call was traced back to the shooter’s phone.
“Our initial investigation also indicated the deceased may have made the call with the intention of initiating an ambush-style attack on the officers when they arrived,” Taylor said
Wagner said, “That’s actually really scary, too. I feel safe here. I grew up on the north side of Indianapolis.”
The big question: Is this shooting possibly connected to a separate police-involved deadly shooting just hours before?
On Wednesday night, an officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department shot and killed Sean Reed following a pursuit. The pursuit was witnessed and the shots were heard by thousands on Facebook Live as the man streamed on the internet.
The police chief said, “That’s a possibility, obviously, but I have no way to confirm that at this point.”
IMPD on Thursday night released this information of the police shooting:
On May 7th, 2020 at approximately 01:30 AM officers of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were dispatched 2200 Woodglen Drive to a burglary in progress.
Caller stated two unknown subjects were trying to break into residence. A cell phone was recovered from the scene. It was later confirmed to be the same one used to call 9-1-1 and belonged to the suspect.
Four veteran officers arrived on scene and approached the residence together.
The officers encountered a male outside of the dispatched address.
The male began firing at officers with a rifle. Nearby cell phone video confirms officers gave repeated and clear commands to the male to move away from the rifle. The video also shows the individual pointing the rifle in the direction of the officers. Witness statements and evidence from the scene also indicate that shots were fired from the rifle.
The four officers returned fire, striking the male.
IEMS arrived and pronounced the male, later identified as McHale Rose, deceased on scene. Officers located a rifle near him at the scene, which was collected as evidence.
No officers were injured in the incident.
It does not appear at this time that Mr. Rose had any connection to the address police were called to from his phone. There was no evidence of a burglary or attempted burglary. Preliminary evidence indicates the 911 call may have been made to lure officers into an ambush-style attack.
The IMPD Critical Incident Response Team is handling the criminal investigation. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office is also involved in the investigation
An Internal Affairs investigation is also ongoing.
The four involved officers are currently off work on administrative leave as is standard procedure in these types of incidents.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
