INDIANAPOLIS – A man was shot and killed by officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department after a chase on the city’s west side early Thursday morning.
The incident began around 1:45 a.m. when officers initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of Burdsal Parkway and Riverside Drive.
Police say the driver, Aaron Bailey, 45, fled from a traffic stop and led police on a brief chase that lasted about a minute and ended when the car crashed into a tree near the intersection of 23rd Street and Aqueduct Street.
According to IMPD Chief Brian Roach, two officers fired "multiple" rounds at the vehicle, hitting Bailey. He was taken to Eskenazi Hospital where he later died.
No weapon was found inside the vehicle.
"It's important to note that just because you don't find a weapon, does not mean it can't be reasonable," IMPD Sgt. Kendale Adams said. "There are a lot of factors that go into that -- when officers have to make that decision."
Shiwanda Ward, 26, was in the passenger seat of the vehicle at the time of the incident. She was not injured.
Ward was arrested at the scene and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
The officers involved were identified as Michal Dinnsen and Carlton Howard. Both officers have been on the force since June 2014.
Dinnsen and Howard have both been placed on administrative leave, which is standard protocol with any officer-involved shooting investigation.
Call 6 Investigates found that neither officer has any previous reports of discipline in their files.
IMPD was not yet ready to provide further specific details leading up to the shooting, pending parts of the investigation that involved statements from each officer and the passenger in the vehicle.
"This will be treated like any other death investigation," said Chief Roach. "Right now those officers are like any of us or any of you would be in the investigation of a death. They have constitutional rights, they have the right to an attorney and they will use those rights.
Call 6 Investigates uncovered court records that show Bailey was known to police. He had been the focus of 16 police reports since 2014 in cases ranging from robbery to auto theft.
Mayor Joe Hogsett released a statement Thursday afternoon saying he expects IMPD to "stringently follow protocol" with a full investigation into what happened.
“The loss of any life in our city is a tragedy, and my thoughts and prayers are with all individuals and families affected by last night’s incident. Our residents expect that IMPD will stringently follow protocol by fully investigating and reviewing the actions that were taken. We will continue to engage local faith and community leaders to reiterate a commitment to handling this process with openness, transparency, and compassion.”
Timeline of Events:
- 1:45 a.m.: Officers initiated a traffic stop at Burdsal Parkway and Riverside Drive for a traffic violation (9 minutes long) During that stop the man fled from officers.
- 1:54 a.m.: Officers announced over their radio that they were chasing the man
- 1:54 a.m.: Less than a minute later, the vehicle they were chasing crashed into a tree at 23rd Street and Aqueduct Street
- 1:55 a.m.: Officers announced on radio they were involved in a police action shooting
- 2:02 a.m.: EMS arrived on scene
- 2:05 a.m.: Driver was taken to Eskenazi Hospital
- 2:24 a.m.: Driver was pronounced deceased at Eskenazi Hospital
- 3:00 a.m.: Female passenger was arrested on a narcotics charge
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