13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Police: N. Sharon body unrelated to shooting at Lafayette Square Mall

Police: N. Sharon body unrelated to shooting at Lafayette Square Mall

Indianapolis - Police say a shooting incident at Lafayette Square Mall on Friday was unrelated to a body found in the 2100 block of North Sharon Avenue.

Initially detectives believed there may have been a connection between the two events. However, now police say that the person found dead on North Sharon Avenue, identified as 22-year-old Herschel Jenkins of Indianapolis, had walked away from a mental health care facility about 45 minutes before his body was discovered.

An autopsy did not determine the cause of death. Toxicology results are pending. This incident is still considered a death investigation.

Police also investigated a report of a shot fired at Lafayette Square. Some blood was found at the scene, but officers never found a victim.

"The incident at Lafayette Square allegedly started when a man, the person who had the firearm, and a companion met three other individuals in the mall. They talked briefly and apparently a disturbance erupted which developed into a fist fight. According to the person who fired the shot one of these three individuals threatened him with a knife at which time he used his firearm to defend himself, according to him," said Sgt. Paul Thompson.

Police say the man with the gun has a permit to carry it. He contacted police. But for some reason there may have been a 40-minute delay between the shots and the first report to police.