INDIANAPOLIS– For the second time this fall, IMPD, in a new campaign of public transparency, has released a highly produced video containing body worn camera and surveillance camera footage along with radio traffic and graphics to illustrate an officer-involved shooting that left one man injured on the city’s west side last month.
Luis Suarez, 19, was shot by a pair of uniformed IMPD officers working off duty at the El Chila Sports Bar in the 6300 block of West 34th Street early on the morning of November 14th.
Video from the bar’s surveillance camera shows Suarez being evicted from the bar after investigators said he was involved in a fight inside.
Minutes later, a large group emerges from the bar and one man punches Suarez, leading the group to chase the teenager down a raised boardwalk running alongside the parking lot.
Surveillance video then shows Suarez returning to his vehicle and retrieving a gun which he then aimed at the group shouting, according to an IMPD source, “Who wants to die?”
IMPD body worn camera video records an officer shouting at Suarez to drop his gun before two officers open fire, striking the gunman once under the right arm.
Suarez flees as the officer’s body camera keeps rolling until the teen is discovered hiding in a tree line along High School Road as officers arrest him and perform first aid until IEMS arrives.
WARNING: The video below contains graphic violence and language. Viewer discretion advised.
Suarez is recovering from his wound and faces three minor felony counts.
Officers Roberto Sanchez and Keith Ortega have both returned to duty.
“I think that painted a good picture of what you saw there happen, the gentleman who pointed the firearm at the crowd and how our officers responded,” said IMPD Chief Randal Taylor. “Our officers are faced with those things day-to-day and have to make quick decisions as they go, but I think in this case, the officers did a fine job.”
IMPD has committed to spending $9.2 million over five-and-a-half years to outfit 1100 officers with body worn camera technology.
Almost a thousand of those cameras are already assigned and are in use.
“I’ve always told the public I wanted to be as transparent as possible,” said Taylor who made the raw video available to an informal group of community advisers. “I also present that video to a small group of community members and have them look at it and give their suggestions and put out a final rendering of that.”
In this case, Taylor said he also reached out to members of Indianapolis’ Latino community.
“I think it was important to get this out to the community and let them see and ultimately ask questions about why we did what we did, why we reacted the way that we did and, like I said, in this case, I think it turned out the best that it could considering that we could have had a number of people injured as this suspect pointed a firearm at them.”
IMPD previously released a produced video containing the same elements that depicted an Officer Involved Shooting at an apartment complex on East Washington Street in September.
In that case, officers wounded a man who shot a woman in a dispute involving a large group of people.
Early next year, IMPD will conclude training on a new use-of-force policy that considers an officer’s proportional response to incidents as well as name a new Use of Force Commission that includes members of the public to review officers’ actions.
