According to NewsOne, Indianapolis police officers shot and killed what appears to be an unarmed black man last night and the victim was streaming the incident on Facebook Live.
The victim, Sean Reed, was live-streaming himself on Facebook when he was shot. Unknown to the police, Reed was recording as he was gunned down and the officers had no clue that after shooting him, they could be heard sharing a laugh over his dead body.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department released a statement (in full below) stating that gunfire was exchanged between the officers and the victim. “There was an exchange of gunfire between the driver and the officer. The driver was struck by the gunfire.”
Yet, in video clips that went viral, there was no evidence that Reed had or fired a gun.
The following clips suggest that the circumstances are substantially different from the statement written by the Indianapolis Police Department.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department released a written statement:
On May 6, 2020 at approximately 6:00 p.m. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Deputy Chief Kendale Adams was traveling northbound on Interstate 65 at West 30th Street when he observed a vehicle, described as a grey Toyota Corolla with four doors, driving recklessly. The vehicle had almost struck other vehicles while it exited the interstate. Deputy Chief Adams was in an unmarked police vehicle and Chief Randal Taylor was in a separate vehicle directly behind Deputy Chief Adams. Deputy Chief Adams asked for other officers’ assistance as he began a pursuit on the vehicle. Chief Taylor continued to assist Major Adams. The vehicle continued driving at a high rate of speed and disobeying all traffic signals.
As marked cars arrived in the pursuit, Chief Taylor and Major Adams removed themselves from the pursuit as is standard procedure. At 6:10 p.m. the pursuit was terminated by the Sergeant monitoring the pursuit. Officers immediately backed away from the vehicle and disengaged their emergency equipment.
Just before 6:16 p.m. a Northwest district officer observed the grey Toyota Corolla pull into the rear of a business in the 6200 block of Michigan Road. The driver then jumped out of the vehicle disregarding the officers verbal commands to stop. A short foot pursuit occurred east bound from the location. Initial information indicates the officer deployed his taser. At which point there was an exchange of gunfire between the driver and the officer. The driver was struck by the gunfire.
Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services (IEMS) responded to the scene and pronounced the driver deceased at the scene.
The Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency responded to the scene to collect forensic evidence.
IMPD closely scrutinizes all uses of force, as we hold every officer to our high standards. While we are withholding judgement on the actions of the involved officer at this time, the officer has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation. The shooting is being investigated by IMPD’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). A separate and independent internal investigation will be conducted by IMPD’s Internal Affairs Unit to ensure compliance with departmental policy, as is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office is involved and will be consulted throughout the investigative process, which includes up to or including the Grand Jury, with civilian oversight. In addition, the IMPD Firearms Review Board will determine whether the departmental use of force was reasonable.
Anyone with information about this incident should call the IMPD Homicide Office at 317.327.3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317.262.8477 or (TIPS). Citizens can also download the mobile P3tips app for Apple or Android phones to submit a mobile tip, or go to www.CrimeTips.org to submit a web tip. You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1000 if the information leads to a felony arrest. Only tips submitted directly and anonymously to Crime Stoppers are eligible for these cash rewards. This release may be updated as more information becomes available. Information given via Crime Stoppers should be considered anonymous.