INDIANAPOLIS -- IMPD says it has arrested 18-year-old Ka’ron Bickham-Hurst and an unidentified juvenile in connection to the murder of Dr. Kevin Rodgers last month.
Rodgers was shot and killed Nov. 20 at his home in the 7500 block of Ballinshire South Drive on the northwest side.
Rodgers was the program director emeritus at IU School of Medicine, as well as a longtime assistant lacrosse coach and team physician for Cathedral High School.
PREVIOUS | Dr. Kevin Rodgers died from gunshot wounds, coroner says
On Thursday, police announced they had arrested 18-year-old Ka’Ron Bickham-Hurst and an unidentified juvenile suspect on preliminary charges of felony murder and burglary in connection with the case.
Based on his jail record, Ka'Ron Bickham-Hurst is accused of killing Dr. Kevin Rodgers just 10 days after his 18th birthday.
— Jordan Fischer (@Jordan_RTV6) December 14, 2017
It was not immediately clear what led police to tie Bickham-Hurst and the juvenile suspect to Rodgers’ murder. Court and jail records showed no previous adult criminal history for Bickham-Hurst in Marion County.
An RTV6 review of police records did reveal that Bickham-Hurst is a suspect in a second burglary on the northwest side just days before Rodgers' murder. An unidentified juvenile suspect is also listed in that report.
Rodgers was with IU from 1998-2015. He served as the emergency medicine residency program director for 2002-2015. At the time of his death, Rodgers was serving as president of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, from which he received both the AAEM Program Director of the Year Award and the Joe Lex Educator of the Year Award.
Rodgers’ wife, Ruth, serves as dean of students at Marian University.
Following his death, the IU School of Medicine released a statement calling Rodgers’ “one of our most revered faculty members.” Rodgers received the 2015 Inspirational Educator Award from the school in recognition of extraordinary teaching.
In June 2015, graduating residents of the IU School of Medicine formally named the department’s annual faculty teaching award the “Kevin G. Rodgers Outstanding Clinical Educator Award.”
Rogers previously worked at Brooke Army Medical Center where he held positions such as the pre-hospital care director, assistant program and research director, associate program director and program director.
Since 2000, Dr. Rodgers has also helped maintain and staff a clinic in Haiti.
Despite the arrests, police are still asking anyone with information about the case to contact Crime Stoppers at 317-269-TIPS as the investigation remains ongoing.
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