INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD officers shot and wounded a man who was parked in the driveway of his grandmother's house on the city's near northeast side on New Year's Eve.
The officers were identified by IMPD as 4-year veteran Lucas Riley, 3-year veteran Alexander Gregory and 5-year veteran Carl Chandler.
The man was shot on Dec. 31, 2022. As of Jan. 16, police say they don't have an update on the man's condition. He was initially reported to be in "stable" condition.
13News has requested and is working to obtain the bodycam footage of this shooting.
According to IMPD, the grandmother called police just after 4 a.m. to report a suspicious car parked and running in her driveway in the 3600 block of North Oxford Street, near 38th Street and North Keystone Avenue. She told police she didn't know who it was.
Officers arrived to find a man who was sleeping in the driver's seat and had a gun on his lap.
According to IMPD's account of the incident, an officer ran the license plate, which was out of Florida, to try to identify who owned the vehicle. Then, the officers verified with the homeowner that she didn't have family in Florida.
Officers later learned the man was driving a rental car, and the homeowner didn't know he was driving it.
IMPD said officers had planned to open the door to try to grab the gun, but the doors were locked.
About three minutes after they arrived, an officer knocked on the window and said "Police. Hands up," according to IMPD's account.
During the incident, three officers discharged their service weapons, hitting the man. It remains unclear how the incident escalated to the man being shot.
Detectives were able to confirm the man woke up and was moving around in the car prior to any shots being fired. The man looked toward the officers and moved his arm toward the officers, but IMPD said it is not clear if the gun was in his hand. Detectives said there's no indication that the man fired any rounds.
IMPD officers provided medical aid to the man until medics arrived and took him to Methodist Hospital, where he's reported to be in stable condition. IMPD clarified that the man was not arrested, and no officers or uninvolved citizens were injured during this incident. Detectives confirmed there's no ongoing threat to the community.
Some neighbors who live nearby say they have a lot of questions about this shooting.
"I just want to understand why. Why did they shoot him? Like if he was no danger to them, even if he had a weapon in his vehicle, why would you shoot him?" said one neighbor who wanted to remain anonymous.
Archie Park said he woke up early on Saturday and heard the gunfire.
"It was enough shouting for me to stop and turn around and before I could get turned around, there were the shots and I got behind the wall that is brick in my kitchen," Park said. "I could hear [the homeowner] say, 'Oh that's my grandson' or something like that."
It's a scary situation Park said happened within seconds.
"It was just too rapid. They hollered and started shooting," Park said.
The shooting is being investigated by the IMPD Critical Incident Response Team. During their investigation, officers found a handgun in the driver's seat of the car and shared a photo of it with the public.
IMPD added that multiple body-worn cameras were also activated during this incident.
PHOTOS: Police investigate after officers shoot, wound man
A separate administrative investigation is being conducted by IMPD Internal Affairs. The involved officers are expected to make a statement to internal affairs investigators within the next week.
The officers who fired their guns have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting investigation.
The civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board will conduct a mandatory hearing for any attempted use of deadly force against a person. This occurs after the conclusion of the criminal process, which involves the Marion County Prosecutor's Office.
The Police Officer Support Team responded to provide peer support for officers. The IMPD Chaplain’s Office is assisting those involved.
Detectives continued searching the area for witnesses and other evidence. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Chris Craighill at the IMPD Homicide office at 317-327-3475. Calls can also be made anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 317-262-8477.