INDIANAPOLIS — Adam Sykes' family is speaking up and demanding answers from IMPD after he was shot and killed by police months ago.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, on February 25, around 2:30 a.m., officers went to a gas station on State Avenue and Washington Street on an assault run.
Sykes, who was at the gas station at that time, was approached by Officer Sydner, who was already familiar with him due to an existing arrest warrant.
Police tried talking to Sykes, who ran away.
After a short foot chase, IMPD said the officer told Sykes to take his hands out of his pockets or he would be tased. That's when investigators say the officer fired his taser, and Sykes fell to the ground.
Police say a handgun also fell. Sykes allegedly reached for the gun and was shot by the officer.
“The murder of my cousin Adam Sykes at the hands of Officer Grant Snyder has been a traumatic and unnecessary occurrence. This is not a case of retaliation or street justice. This is a case of state-sanctioned murder,” Anika Green, Skyes cousin, said.
Community leaders are weighing in after IMPD recently released edited body camera footage of the incident. One group is arguing for access to raw footage, while another group is still working to bridge the gap and build trust between the community and law enforcement.
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"We certainly honor what police officers are doing, and we also want to make sure that a community member that could have gone home safely or could have been handled in a different way," Rev David Greene Sr., President of the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis said.
"It's always very frustrating at first because the police of course narrate the video. They edit the video, so their side of the story is what gets foregrounded," Derek Ford, Organizational Relations Director of Indy Liberation Center said.
Ford said it's about transparency and accountability.
"The victims are always sort of demonized and villainized precisely because the police have basically absolute control over what information is released and when," Ford said.
Although officer-involved shooting numbers are down, Rev Greene said there is still more work to be done.
"We need community members to know that, you know, if you reach for a gun, it's going to be a bad outcome. So it's both sides. It's both sides have to work at it. There may be additional training items on the law enforcement side," Greene said.
We reached out to IMPD for comment on a press conference held by the Sykes family, who mentioned that Sykes was “hunted down” and “targeted” based on a warrant from July 2024. IMPD released the following statement:
At this time, IMPD has not confirmed whether the audio provided is associated with this officer or pertains to this particular incident.
IMPD offers families impacted by an officer-involved shooting the opportunity to view the full body-worn camera footage of the incident involving their loved one. We believe this step is important in helping families gain a clearer understanding of the events that led up to the officer-involved shooting or critical incident.
In this particular case, Mr. Skykes’ mother and three additional people supporting her viewed all available body-worn camera videos on April 3, 2025, alongside her attorney.
To promote transparency, IMPD shares critical incident videos to provide the public with context surrounding the incident. It is not to justify an officer’s actions. The goal is to allow community members to see the available facts and form their own conclusions.
We continue to ask anyone with information, potential evidence or recordings to call Detective Brian Lambert at the homicide office by calling 317-327-3475. Alternatively, anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 317-262-TIPS.
This incident continues to be investigated by IMPD’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). Detectives are working with the Marion County Prosecutors Office and the Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency to complete a fair and thorough investigation.
IMPD’s Internal Affairs Unit is conducting a separate internal investigation to ensure compliance with departmental policy, as is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting.
The civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board will conduct a mandatory review of this incident as it does for any use of deadly force against a person. This occurs after the conclusion of the criminal process.
Our previously released statement can be found here.
