UPDATE: The Marion County Grand Jury announce on June 30 that there will be no charges filed against the officers involved in the shooting.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (April 12, 2015) – An officer-involved shooting on the east side of Indianapolis left a suspect dead and two officers injured Sunday afternoon.
The incident occurred around 3:10 p.m. in the 3800 block of East 31st Street. Officers attempted to pull over a suspect as part of a traffic stop, and the suspect fled on foot. Police identified the man Monday as Mack Long, 36. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Marion County Coroner’s Office.
Police say Long was the passenger. He was armed with a nine millimeter handgun, ammunition, and had drugs.
A brief foot pursuit ensued, and he ran behind a wooded area.
“The foot pursuit was brief. They ended up behind the wooded area and that’s where that struggle began. From what we’ve been able to ascertain, that lasted for a period of time as the officer was asking for additional units to arrive and that’s when the shots were fired,” said Chris Wilburn with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Two officers suffered graze wounds during a struggle with the suspect.
Long was shot and declared dead at the scene. Police are still investigating whose gun was fired and how the suspect was shot and the officers hurt.
“The suspect was struggling with the officer or officer’s weapon,” said Wilburn.
The suspect’s name is not being released at this time, but family members argue they don’t believe the shooting was justified. Members of the Indianapolis Ten Point Coalition were on scene trying to create a boundary between officers and emotional family members.
“Try to address some of the concerns the public has concerning their relationship with the police department so we can try to calm it down,” said Reverend Charles Harrison. He said the Ten Point Coalition is working on planning a meeting between community members and city leaders.
“Family members were very angry with the police and some want to retaliate against the police because of this,” Harrison said.
“Anytime an officer is faced with a deadly force or a dearth situation, they deployed their firearms. That’s what they’re utilized for,” said Wilburn.
There was a second person in the suspect’s car, but she did not flee and is cooperating with police.
Just about an hour after crews arrived to the first shooting scene, there were reports of two shots being fired just down the street. Police say they investigated but could not find the shooter.
Police say they will investigate what happened during the struggle and shooting and it will be up to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office to determine if the shooting was justified.
“Any officer involved shooting, we are going to put every piece of the puzzle together and use every asset we can to put together clear and concise and truthful information,” said Wilburn.
