GREENWOOD, Ind. — A teenager shot and killed a man inside a Greenwood home after the man brandished a handgun and threatened him during a drug deal, the Greenwood Police Department announced Tuesday.
The man killed was identified as 20-year-old Jerimiah Sirr Martin of Indianapolis.
The shooting happened shortly before 2:45 p.m. Monday in the 1200 block of O’Dell Lane.
Officers arrived to find Martin’s body in the upstairs bedroom. They detained a 16-year-old Indianapolis boy and a 21-year-old Greenwood woman.
The woman told police she left her home while the 16-year-old stayed at the house. While she was gone, she received a call from a person she knew only as “Black Boy,” the woman told police. She explained that “Black Boy” — later identified as 20-year-old Marcus Deon Jones Jr. of Indianapolis — wanted to buy marijuana from her and owed her money from a previous transaction, GPD said.
Jones Jr. agreed to pay what he owed when he came to pick up more marijuana, the woman told police. She said she then called the 16-year-old to let him know that Jones Jr. was coming to the house.
Police said when Jones Jr. arrived at the house, he told the 16-year-old he did not have enough
money and would return shortly with what he owed. Jones Jr. returned, now accompanied by Martin, who reportedly brandished a handgun and threatened the teen, per GPD.
The three then went upstairs to the master bedroom. Martin reportedly placed his handgun on the bed so that he could pick up a rifle that was already in the bedroom, police said. The 16-year-old then grabbed Martin’s pistol and began shooting at him. GPD said a struggled over the rifle ensued, during which Jones Jr. fled the scene. The teen was able to get the rifle away from Martin and shoot him multiple times.
Authorities stopped Jones Jr. in Indianapolis. He was taken to the police department for questioning and arrested on burglary charges.
Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner told FOX59/CBS4 in an interview that the case is very unusal.
“It’s not very often you see somebody come into a house, the allegation is somebody came into the house, and there was an assault going on and somebody has to shoot in self-defense, which fortunately you don’t see a lot like that,” Hamner said.
He said it is unfortunate the shooting involved a teenager and young adults.
“Fortunately, you don’t very often see kids this young getting involved in something like this,” Hamner said. “It’s a scary situation. It’s disheartening, but I think the investigation is progressing well.”
The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Jones Jr. with burglary, a level 2 felony. The Greenwood Department said the incident sends a very simple message.
“Greenwood is a safe community,” Asst. Chief Matthew Fillenwarth told FOX59/CBS4 on Tuesday. “We don’t, fortunately, have things like this happen all the time, but if you’re in the drug dealing world, the odds of you being a victim or being involved in a violent crime increase substantially.”
Police said their investigation into this incident remains ongoing. Anyone with information should contact GPD.
