Category: IMPD

Suspect Arrested in Shooting of Dutch Soldiers

The crime scene outside the downtown Hampton Inn.

An Indianapolis man has been arrested for the shooting of three Dutch soldiers.

According to a news release from the Indianapolis Metro Police Department, Shamar Duncan, 22, is the man suspected of killing one Royal Netherlands Army soldier and wounding two others last weekend.

At approximately three-thirty Saturday morning, officers were called to the scene of a shooting outside the downtown Hampton Inn, two blocks south of Monument Circle. The gunshot victims were rushed to a local hospital where one of them, Simmie Poetsema, 26, later died. The other two soldiers were treated for non-life threatening wounds. Although the shooting occurred at the hotel where the victims were staying, detectives believe the men were deliberately targeted because of an earlier altercation at a separate location.

Members of the Royal Netherlands Army’s Commando Corps were in town for a combat exercise at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, a 1,000-acre military complex outside of Indianapolis. The Indiana National Guard reportedly stated the facility is used for training by the Department of Defense “as well as other allies.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact IMPD Homicide Detective Michael Wright at 317-327-3475 or email Michael.Wright@indy.gov .

Woman Runs Over Boyfriend Three Times, Gets Arrested for Murder

Andre Smith was a victim of domestic violence.

An Indianapolis woman has been charged with murder after killing her boyfriend because she found him with another woman.

A little after midnight Friday, IMPD officers responded to a call concerning a dispute in the parking lot of Tilly’s Pub in the 3900 block of East 82nd Street. When they arrived, they found Andre Smith, 26, pinned beneath a car. He later died at the scene.

According to court documents, Gaylyn J. Morris, 26, used an Apple AirTag to follow Smith because she suspected him of cheating. She tracked him to the pub, where she found him in the company of another woman. Morris then grabbed an empty wine bottle and swung it at the unidentified woman, but Smith stepped between them and grabbed the bottle.

The three of them were then asked to leave.

While Smith’s companion stayed inside to wait for a food order, Smith and Morris stepped outside. The probable cause affidavit states Morris got into her Impala and “pulled forward and clipped the victim (Smith), and he went down, at which time… (Morris) then backed over him and then pulled forward and hit him for the third time.” With Smith still trapped under the vehicle, she got out of her car and again attempted to attack the other woman before being detained by police.

Morris is currently being held on a preliminary charge without bond. IMPD is asking anyone who witnessed the crime to call homicide detectives at 317-327-3475.

MISSING: Indy Mother and Child

Erica Rios and her daughter, Angel Holmes, were last seen five days ago.

Police are asking the public to help locate a missing Indianapolis woman and her daughter.

Erica Rios, 43, was last seen Friday, May 20th. The next day, her car was seen traveling west on Interstate 70 near SR 39 in Hendricks County, but it’s unclear if she was driving. Angel Holmes, 11, is believed to be with her mother, and family members are deeply concerned about them.

Erica Rios is described as 5 feet, 3 inches tall and 133 pounds. She has black hair and hazel eyes. Her daughter Angel is 4 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 70 pounds. She also has black hair and hazel eyes. Police do not know what they were wearing at the time they disappered.

Anyone with information on their whereabouts is urged to call 911 immediately, or contact the IMPD missing persons unit at 317-327-6160.

IMPD Officer Arrested for Battery Has Strange History

Officer Bad Luck Brian
Accused officer Michael Price

An officer of the Indianapolis Metro Police Department was arrested last week on suspicion of both battery and domestic battery. It wasn’t the first time his name has appeared in the local news.

The most recent incident occurred approximately 12:40 am last Saturday, April 30th, when IMPD officers went to the 8000 block of Gathering Lane after receiving an incomplete 911 text concerning a possible “active assault.” Upon arriving, the responding officers learned one of the parties involved in the assault was Michael Price, a 13-year-veteran of the IMPD. The matter was then referred to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU). Officer Price was arrested shortly thereafter and booked into the Marion County Jail.

In April of 2017, Officer Price was briefly the subject of another investigation when the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department responded to a shooting. According to the sheriff, the off-duty IMPD officer was seated in his patrol car in front of his New Palestine home when he accidentally shot himself in the leg. He reportedly told sheriffs on the scene that he had taken his personal firearm – a .40-caliber mini Glock – from its holster and was attempting to clear the chamber when it fired. It does not appear Price faced any disciplinary action in regard to the accidental discharge of his weapon.

Officer Price was in the media again last year when a fire broke out in his Fountaintown home. A charitable fund was set up through the Professional Police Officers Credit Union to help his family at that time.

As of today’s date, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has not filed any charges against him in connection with last week’s arrest. He has been placed on administrative leave pending criminal and internal investigations.

Not Guilty Plea Entered For Cop Accused of Grabbing Guy’s Balls

Booking photo of (former?) IMPD officer Travis Lewis

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has hit a bit of a rough patch lately. First, a 22-year veteran of the force was arrested for being the proud owner of a weed growing operation, and now a second officer is in trouble.

This time for squeezing a man’s genitals.

The alleged incident occurred Feb. 10 when multiple IMPD officers, including Travis Lewis, responded to a reported burglary in progress on the 8200 block of E. 21st St. Although officers determined there was no burglary, 43-year-old Paul Johnson, Jr. was arrested for invasion of privacy. One of the other officers present at the scene later reported Lewis used “unnecessary and excessive” force while taking Johnson into custody. Specifically, he alleged Lewis threw the handcuffed Johnson to the ground, grabbed the man’s testicles through his boxer shorts twice, and twisted them in an attempt to elicit compliance.

The report also said Johnson never forcibly resisted or posed any danger to law enforcement. He simply refused to cooperate by stiffening his legs and passively resisting attempts to put him in a squad car.

Statements from other officers present and released body cam footage appear to corroborate the accusations against Lewis. At one point in the video, Johnson can be heard asking to be taken to a hospital because “my balls is bleeding.”

The former (?) Officer Lewis faces one felony count of official misconduct and two misdemeanor counts of battery with bodily injury in connection with the incident. He is currently suspended without pay pending a recommendation for termination.

This Day in Infamy: Birth of a Serial Killer

April 7, 1947 – On this day in Indiana Infamy, Herbert Richard Baumeister was born in Indianapolis to Herbert E. Baumeister and his wife Elizabeth. Almost 50 years later, he was posthumously identified as a serial killer believed to have been responsible for the deaths of at least a dozen men, some of whom he disposed of on his Westfield property.

IMPD Officer Charged in Growing Operation

In one of several recent embarrassing incidents for citizens of the Hoosier state, an officer of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has been charged in connection with a marijuana growing operation she set up in her own home.

22-year veteran officer Christina Slack contributed to her own downfall when IMPD police were sent to the 2900 block of S. Pasadena St. on Dec. 27, 2021 for a domestic disturbance. When the responding officers arrived at Slack’s residence, she informed them her boyfriend, Jamel Owens, had attacked her. As he was being taken into custody, Owens informed the arresting officers that they should check the back badroom of the house for marijuana.

Police received a search warrant for the premises and found 18 marijuana plants growing in a tent with fans and an air filtration system. According to court records, the pot weighed 1,285.2 grams. Psychedelic mushrooms were also found in the search, as well as marijuana seeds and paraphernalia. Text messages and cell phone videos sent between the couple confirmed Slack’s involvement in the grow operation.

Jamel Owens was charged with two counts of domestic battery and one count of criminal mischief stemming from the alleged assault. Those charges were dismissed earlier this month.

However, Officer Slack and Owens both still face charges on two misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana — growing, and growing on-premise while failing to destroy. No charges were filed in connection with the mushrooms, paraphrenalia, or any intent to distribute the more than 45 ounces of pot.

Slack has been suspended pending a recommendation of termination to the Civilian Police Merit Board.

Missing: Nahum Smith

Have you seen this man?

Indianapolis Metro PD is asking for help locating a missing man.

36-year-old Nahum Smith was last seen February 18 near the Greyhound station at 350 S. Illinois Street. He is 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 150 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a black and gray hoodie, white thermal shirt, tan pants, and socks under a pair of slippers.

Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Mr. Smith is asked to call 911.

Breaking News: Chuck E. Cheese – A Traumatizing Place to Be a Kid

Only the second-most terrifying thing at Chuck E. Cheese’s this week

At least, that was the case for patrons when a murder occurred at a Chuck E. Cheese on Indianapolis’s far eastside early Sunday evening.

Shots were reportedly fired from outside into the children’s-birthday-themed restaurant around 5:30 p.m, shattering an exterior window and creating chaos as children screamed and parents attempted to rush them to safety. One witness, Jessie Humphries, said she tried to escape out a back door only to find it locked.

“After that, nobody knew where to run, didn’t know who in the building was shooting,” said another woman who was there celebrating the birthday of her twin granddaughters.

Thankfully, only one casualty occurred. A man tentatively identified as Anthony Tinnin was found dead in the parking lot. Police believe he had been inside the Chuck E. Cheese then walked outside shortly before the shooting started. It’s unknown at this time if he was intentionally targeted.

Many of the children present were further tramatized when they saw the victim’s body as they exited the scene.

The perpetrators fled in a white SUV and remain at-large.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact IMPD Detective Lottie Patrick at 317-327-3475 or lottie.patrick@indy.gov. You can also anonymously leave information with the Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana by calling 317-262-TIPS (8477).

Nursing Home Resident Charged with Rape and Murder of 80-yr-old Hospice Patient

Last Wednesday, February 9th, 60-year-old Dwayne Anthony Freeman faced his initial court appearance in connection with the rape and murder of a fellow nursing home resident.

An employee of Homestead Healthcare Center entered the room of 80-yr-old Patricia Newnum in the early morning hours of February 2nd to distribute medication. It was then that another resident, Freeman, was discovered on top of Newnum. He appeared to be having sex with the hospice patient while holding a pillow over her face. When confronted, Freeman reportedly smelled of alcohol and “rambled incoherently.” He reacted violently when an empty bottle was found in his room.

Newnum was subsequently declared dead in her bed, and an autopsy later ruled her death a homicide. She had died from asphyxiation due to smothering.

According to prosecutors, Freeman’s story changed several times before he finally admitted to having intercourse with the victim but claimed it was consensual and initiated by Newnum. However, employees of the facility told police that before her death, Newnum was unable to move on her own and her ability to speak was limited. Freeman also had a history of speaking inappropriately to women during the three months he’d lived at the facility. Incredibly, he’d even told staff the night before the assault that he was “going to get me a woman tonight.”

An automatic not-guily plea was entered on Freeman’s behalf Wednesday, and a public defender was assigned to him. It’s unknown at this time if the facility will face negligence charges in connection with Newnum’s death. Local news station WTHR reports that the facility, located at 7465 Madison Avenue, faced more than $100,ooo in federal fines last year. Federal site Medicare.gov states it has received 26 complaints that resulted in citations against Homestead Healthcare Center within the last three years.

Dwayne Freeman is scheduled to appear in court again March 30th.