INDIANAPOLIS — Sunday afternoon the intersection of East 38th Street and North Arlington Avenue was alive with the sounds of honking horns and blaring music during a celebration of the life of community anti-violence activist Ron G. Frieson – Ron Gee to his friends – who were gathered on the spot where he was killed Thursday morning.
IMPD homicide investigators said Frieson was shot to death in the parking lot during a confrontation with another man. Witnesses tell FOX59/CBS4 that evidence was recovered at the scene, but no arrests have been made.
Gee and Cease Fire Indy were known for holding 72-hour cease fire weekends to encourage city residents to not shoot each other for a period of three days at a time.
”Its beyond traumatic,” said James Wilson, founder of Circle Up Indy, another anti-violence group and sponsor of community events. “Ron Gee was so personal with everybody and it wasn’t just, you see him on tv, you see him on the news, he was down to earth. He would interact. He sat down. He talked. He heard people’s problems, situations and their struggles, so, when you have somebody who’s making an impact and is willing to take the time like that, its gonna hurt everybody. It’s a residual effect.”
Dozens of family and friends spoke of Gee’s commitment to halting violence as they released bouquets of red balloons in the air.
”I would say most people would think it would be a day to discouraged,” said Terrell Harris, wearing an Indy Cease Fire t-shirt, “But if you were Ron, Ron would say, ‘Its not my movement. Its our movement,’ so, this encouraged me to come out, to bring the community out to show and to advocate against gun violence. The same person who was advocating against gun violence lost his life to gun violence.”
A review of IMPD records indicates that Frieson had arrived at Community East Hospital on May 29, 2018, suffering from a gunshot wound.
His restaurant, 1313 Eatery, was heavily damaged by fire last fall, necessitating a move to a new location on East 38th Street where a police raid in April discovered cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and guns.
A federal indictment filed on July 9 charged William C. Collins, III, for crimes Frieson blamed on “an employee.”
”I know one thing about Ron. Ron was very transparent. What he did in his personal life is what he did in his public life,” said Harris. ”My mother always told me, ‘What you do in the dark will come to light.’ I’m a firm believer you practice what you preach. You walk that life. I see a lot of times with a lot of guys, they want to do good, they have one foot in and one foot out but I’m a firm believer that’s a start, right.”
”Ron was an advocate against gun violence and he died from gun violence,” said Harris. “If advocate was a person it was Ron Gee.”
Wilson toiled in the same community vineyards as Gee, proselytizing for peace.
He’s also recovering from gunshot wounds from an unsolved case.
”This past New Years Eve I was shot in front of my house with an AK-47 and there are so many different speculations of what happened. But literally asking a young brother 19-years-old to move off in front of my house cuz he was sitting out there and I’m laying on the ground bleeding out. Got shot three times with a 7.62 at point blank range.
“Its an honor to be here.”
Wilson said the shooter was a guest whom a relative invited to his home.
”I’m pretty sure somebody in my family knew of him and whatnot and know a little bit of they names and stuff, but if they don’t wanna talk, I’m not blaming them for it,” he said. ”It goes back to the code of the streets and what’s honorable out here and a lot of people don’t see that but nobody wants to put themselves in jeopardy or in danger or anything of that nature. Situations happen.”
While typically IMPD would recover surveillance video from the convenience store and photographs from license plate readers at the intersection in pursuit of a suspect, investigators are always receptive to tips from the community.
”If a person loses his life to gun violence, a person coming forward and telling is not necessarily quote-unquote snitching,” said Harris. “They’re doing the community’s work.”
Harris said Cease Fire Indy would honor Gee by holding a 72-hour cease fire weekend over the upcoming Labor Day holiday.
