INDIANAPOLIS — A 23-year-old woman has been charged with murder after she allegedly shot and killed a man who honked his horn at her at a traffic light on Indianapolis' west side, according to court documents.
Deborah Benefiel is accused of shooting Kentrell Settles in the chest Friday afternoon near the intersection of West 38th Street and Georgetown Road, a probable cause affidavit states.
According to the girlfriend's account to police, detailed in the affidavit, she and Settles were stopped behind Benefiel's green Ford SUV at a red light. When the light turned green, Benefiel didn't move, so Settles honked his horn and drove around her vehicle.
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The affidavit states the girlfriend told police that Benefiel followed Settles while "yelling, screaming, and throwing her hands around" inside her vehicle.
When Settles tried to turn into Georgetown Plaza, Benefiel fired one shot into his car, striking him in the chest, according to the girlfriend's statement in court documents.
The girlfriend told police she jumped into Settles' lap and drove him to the 3600 block of Donald Avenue, where officers found him, the affidavit states.
He was pronounced dead at a hospital at 2:43 p.m.
Court documents show the victim's car had a single gunshot hole in the passenger rear window, causing the glass to shatter.
Detectives used license plate readers and surveillance video to track down Benefiel's vehicle. A witness identified Benefiel in a photo lineup as the shooter.
Police executed a search warrant at Benefiel's East Washington Street apartment and found a .40 caliber Glock handgun in a purse, the affidavit states.
Benefiel told officers the gun was in the apartment, according to the court documents.
Benefiel has been charged with murder and criminal recklessness.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears released the following statement regarding this matter:
“This case is yet another tragic example of a simple dispute on our roadways turning deadly over what amounts to nothing. A moment of anger should not cost someone their life.
This kind of senseless violence is something prosecutors and police are seeing far too often. We will continue to work together to hold those who commit senseless acts on our roadways accountable in the courtroom, but as a community we must find ways to respond to conflicts with reasonableness— not violence.”
