INDIANAPOLIS — A man has been arrested in connection with a triple shooting that occurred during a large gathering at a shopping center on the west side.
The Marion County Prosecutor's Office has filed charges against 21-year-old Carlos Contreras following the September 20 shooting.
Contreras has been charged with three counts of Attempted Murder, two counts of Aggravated Battery, Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon, Possession of a Machine Gun, Criminal Recklessness, and Resisting Law Enforcement.
According to court documents, IMPD officers were monitoring a large event in the 5600 block of North Georgetown Road when they heard multiple gunshots coming from behind the Jimmy John's restaurant at 5620 Georgetown Road. Officers found three men suffering from gunshot wounds.
Witnesses told officers they saw a black Dodge Challenger leaving the scene. Officers encountered the vehicle and initiated a pursuit when the driver refused to stop. The vehicle became stuck along railroad tracks near Industrial Boulevard, and the driver, later identified as Contreras, was arrested.
Police found an AK-style pistol and Glock magazine in plain view inside the vehicle. A search warrant revealed two firearms, including a Glock 19 handgun equipped with a "switch" device that converts the semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic weapon.
Surveillance video from Jimmy John's showed Contreras and another unidentified male shooting at the three victims.
The victims were struck within approximately seven seconds of walking into the camera frame. According to court documents, there didn't appear to be an argument or disturbance before the shooting.
After the initial shooting, Contreras retrieved a mini-Draco rifle from the vehicle and fired three additional shots at the victims as they lay wounded on the ground.
The three victims sustained multiple gunshot wounds. One victim had 11 separate injuries requiring immediate surgery. Police recovered 47 shell casings of various calibers from the scene.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears released a statement about the charges:
"The spread of Glock 'switch' devices poses a grave threat to our neighborhoods. The defendant is accused of firing multiple rounds in seconds, leaving three people with life-altering injuries. I thank the community members who stepped forward to help investigators — your courage makes prosecutions possible. We will continue to pursue and aggressively prosecute anyone who uses these devices to terrorize our streets."
Contreras was taken to Eskenazi Hospital for evaluation of injuries from the crash and declined to be interviewed by police. He will be transported to the Marion County jail upon his release from the hospital.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact IMPD.
