INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Police have arrested an Indianapolis man on a charge of murder in connection with the death of his friend on the Near Eastside earlier this month.
Dewayne Sims, 32, was taken into custody Thursday night on a warrant for charges of murder and being a felon carrying a handgun in connection with the death of 36-year-old Earl Whitney.
Whitney was found shot and killed inside a home in the 500 block of North Tacoma Avenue just after 6:30 p.m. on March 8.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed Monday, a witness told police that Whitney had brought home his longtime friend, Sims. Both appeared to be possibly intoxicated, according to the witness.
At one point in the evening, Whitney reportedly attempted to get Sims to leave. Sims, the witness said, had dozed off. When Whitney tried to rouse him, Sims reportedly said, “Who is you?”
Whitney reportedly responded, “It’s me, cuz” – at which point Sims allegedly shot him. According to the witness, Sims shot Whitney once, paused, then shot him two more times. Sims then allegedly fled the residence.
An autopsy of Whitney determined he died of a gunshot wound to the torso.
According to the affidavit, Sims was on GPS monitoring through Marion County Community Corrections at the time the shooting took place. The device “reported insufficient,” though, meaning that it “did not have a clear view of satellites to report a valid location.”
As of Friday evening, Sims was being held without bond at the Marion County Jail. An initial hearing had not yet been set.
