INDIANAPOLIS — Police are investigating a fatal shooting involving an IMPD officer on the southwest side of Indianapolis Thursday night.
IMPD Southwest District officers responded to a McDonald's in the 4900 block of Knights Way for a welfare check of an individual at 7:20 p.m. after a 911 caller heard a female yelling for help from a semi-truck.
Upon arrival, officers observed an apparent hostage situation unfolding in the cab of a semi.
According to IMPD, officers knocked on the door of the semi and and saw a male, identified as 60-year-old Lamont Bland, come from behind the curtain that separates the driving and sleeping compartments of the semi. Bland sat at the driver's seat at one point, looked at the officers and retreated back into the cab.
Officers say they heard a female scream for help in the back of the truck. The officers notified their supervisor, who began giving orders for Bland to come out of the truck.
IMPD says the lieutenant on scene, later identified as IMPD 26-year-veteran Brandon Mills, decided to break the driver's side window of the truck so they could have a better view into the semi. He opened the door and began communicating with Bland.
Lt. Mills asked Bland to identify himself, but he kept saying he had a knife to the woman's neck, IMPD said. The woman could be heard screaming that she was bleeding and needed help.
According to IMPD, Lt. Mills gave Bland one final order to come out of the truck. He did not follow orders, so Lt. Mills fired his weapon once, striking the suspect.
Bland was given medical attention but died at the scene. The woman was rescued and given medical attention. No officers were injured in the shooting.
Police said multiple body-worn cameras were utilized during this incident.
Lt. Mills has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting investigation.
The victim told detectives that Bland pulled her into the truck and held her against her will for hours, police said.
Bland was convinced she had stolen something from him previously, police said. The woman told detectives she did not know the suspect.
