Indianapolis authorities released footage Thursday of a police car riddled with bullets from an AR-15-style rifle used in a shootout between a suspect and several officers after a brief vehicle chase turned into a shootout.
The shooting has left one suspect dead, two officers injured and several city leaders exasperated by the gun violence, including Assistant Police Chief Christopher Bailey.
“We’re sick of this. The community should be sick of it,” Bailey said, raising his voice. “And we have two officers who are lucky to be alive today.”
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Bailey gave an impassioned speech Thursday afternoon at 30th Street and Post Road, where hours earlier, an investigation turned into a deadly encounter.
“Today they put on their uniforms and went out to find the people who are terrorizing our neighborhoods,” he said. “We all owe them a debt of gratitude.”
What happened during the shooting that injured two Indianapolis police officers?
The incident unfolded around 12:40 pm when officers with the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force and the Lawrence Police Department were investigating a previous shooting, saw a potential suspect and attempted to stop the vehicle . The driver fled west on East 30th Street. Task force officers tried to stop the vehicle by force but were unsuccessful. The suspect crashed in a parking lot. An exchange of gunfire ensued between the suspect and four officers.
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The injured officers were rushed to Eskenazi Hospital and are expected to recover. The suspect in the shooting, a 46-year-old man, was shot and killed at the scene. A passenger in the vehicle was found and arrested.
Bailey said the AR-15-style rifle used by the suspect sent bullets into one of the patrol vehicles at the scene, damaging its hood, grill, side and front and rear windshields.
“We got lucky today,” Bailey said. “The bullets went through the metal of the car. There’s a part of the car that’s come off. That’s the weapon these officers are up against.”
What we know about the rifle used in the shooting
As of Thursday afternoon, officials could not release the exact model of the rifle or the caliber of bullets used in the shooting.
Bailey said members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would investigate the rifle’s serial number, doing what he called “an emergency trace” to quickly determine where the gun came from. weapon and how the suspect acquired it.
The shooting that injured two officers was not the first act of gun violence on Thursday. Early this morning, a teenager was fatally shot on the east side of the city.
A school bus driver taking the students to class had to stop the route and call 911 after turning from East 38th Street and seeing the injured teenager bleeding on the grass. He was found near the intersection of Breen Drive and Brentwood Avenue in a residential area.
On Sunday, a 6-year-old boy grabbed his family’s gun and pulled the trigger, fatally shooting himself. Indianapolis police have since opened an investigation into the death.
“We’re all tired of it,” Bailey said. “We are all tired of violence.”
John Tufts covers afternoon breaking news and trends for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. IndyStar reporters Sarah Nelson and Jake Allen contributed to this report.
