INDIANAPOLIS — Two Indianapolis families are mourning after a series of shootings over 4th of July weekend left two men dead.
Neighbors said the deadly shooting at a home on east 34th Street was caught on home surveillance cameras. Those cameras allegedly recorded two suspects ambushing the victim in front of his own home.
After seeing a black SUV circle the block for several minutes on east 34th Street Saturday night, witnesses described a pair of gunmen walking up to the victim’s home and exchanging gunfire with their neighbor. The shooting left the victim dead in his front yard.
The neighbors shared that video with police, although it has not been released to the media.
While it’s not clear what motivated the violence, those neighbors confirm what police said on scene: the attack appears to have been targeted.
“It doesn’t appear to be a random act of violence. It appears to be a focused incident where the public is not in danger at this point,” said IMPD commander Kerry Buckner.
City-County Councilman Duke Oliver lives directly across 34th Street from the scene of the homicide, but he didn’t want to talk about the death on camera Sunday.
Ten hours after that killing, early Sunday morning police were called to a second home on Bretton Wood Drive on the northwest side and found another man shot to death at his home.
“We’re here. We’re responsive. Every time you see me, you see a group of officers working extremely hard to bring these cases to a close,” said IMPD officer William Young.
Officer Young stressed Sunday that their officers can’t solve the two cases on their own.
There have now been 113 homicides in Indianapolis this year. That remains the second deadliest year on record to this date, trailing only 2021.
Police insist the public’s assistance in every case will send a message to those killers that they won’t get away with their crimes.
“We need to get that across to them. You’re going to be held responsible. We’re going to catch you. We’re going to get information so we can prosecute you,” said Young.
In addition to the two homicides, nearly a dozen other victims were wounded in a series of non-fatal shootings over the weekend.
Police have not announced an arrest in either of the weekend homicides.
Anyone with information about the East 34th Street incident should call detective Sergeant Scott Stauffer at the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or email him at [email protected]
Anyone with information about the Bretton Wood Drive incident should call detective Brad Nuetzman at the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or email him at [email protected]
