Sarah Nelson,Jade JacksonIndianapolis Star
INDIANAPOLIS — A man suspected of shooting a woman then leading police on a multi-mile chase Tuesday has died after being shot by officers inside a Castleton apartment.
The chaotic scene unfolded just after 3 p.m. when police received multiple calls about shots fired in the 9000 block of Wesleyan Road, on the northwest side of the city. Arriving officers found a woman with a gunshot wound. She was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
The shooting appeared to stem from an "ongoing domestic" situation between the woman and the shooter, said Police Chief Christopher Bailey. Another person who tried to intervene, described by Bailey as a good Samaritan, suffered bite wounds from the shooting suspect.
The shooting occurred inside a multi-business complex and a representative from HarmonyCares, which has offices inside, said that they were grateful their staff were unharmed, noting one employee stepped in to help.
"We are proud that one of our health care professionals ... worked to help the victim until emergency personnel could arrive," the statement said. They did not identify the employee.
Witnesses informed officers about the possible suspect vehicle, described as a maroon Dodge Ram. A Lawrence police officer and Marion County Sheriff's deputy in unmarked vehicles attempted to stop the pickup. The suspect fled in the Dodge, Bailey said, and a pursuit ensued.
The chase ended roughly 10 miles east at an apartment complex in Castleton. The driver drove his pickup into the front yard of an apartment, in the 8400 block of Maple Leaf Lane, and ran inside. The officers followed and found the suspect holding a female at knifepoint.
"Officers gave that individual several commands to drop the knife, at which time, there was an officer-involved shooting," Bailey said.
Emergency medical services pronounced the man, identified as 45-year-old Elijah Hakiem Radford, dead at the scene.
The female held at knifepoint was not injured, the chief said.
Delena McCarthy lives across the street from the apartment. She and friends had just parked from going out to eat when they heard a loud boom around 3 p.m.
"I said, 'I think that was a gunshot.' It was very loud and it scared me. I jumped. Then we thought it might just be fireworks," McCarthy said. "We hear people shooting guns into the air across the street all the time. Especially around the holiday, July 4, but this was a pop, like a very loud pop and you still hear the echo after it."
One Lawrence police officer and an Indianapolis Metropolitan police officer fired their weapons. A rifle was found at the scene on Wesleyan Road, where the initial calls were made. Police also recovered a knife where Radford died.
McCarthy said seeing the situation unfold in her area makes her feel a bit overwhelmed, but said she has always felt safe in her neighborhood.
The officers who fired their weapons are on leave, per standard procedure in police shootings. Both had activated body worn cameras at the time of the shooting.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the case. Both the agency and the Lawrence Police Department will conduct internal investigations into their respective officers' actions.
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2024 police-involved shootings in Indianapolis
This is the eighth shooting this year involving Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers.
June 1: An officer fired their weapon while investigating gunshots downtown about 3:20 a.m. Neither the suspect nor the officer were injured.
May 28: Jerrett Dwain Gray Jr., 20, was a suspect in an armed carjacking when he was fatally shot while trying to flee police in the Cavalier Court apartment complex. Two firearms were found where Gray was taken into custody. One firearm carried amachine gun conversion device, commonly called a Glock Switch.
May 15:Kelvin Andrew Chandler, 26, who was accused of shooting his roommate, was fatally shot in an "exchange of gunfire" with an officer in the 6500 block of Apollo Way. His roommate survived.
May 2: Lemar Brandon Qualls, 35, was shot and killed after officers were called about a person armed and pointing a weapon at people in the 3900 block of Broadway Street, near 38th Street and North College Avenue. Witnesses said Qualls pointed the weapon at officers, according to police.
March 31:Luis Duran-Ruano, 31, was killed after a SWAT standoff on Winston Avenue that started with a call about a man firing shots into the air near West 33rd Street and Georgetown Road.
March 24:Dominique Lamonte Durham Sr., 37, was fatally shot March 24 in an exchange of gunfire with off-duty officers working security at a nightclub on East Washington Street.
Jan. 24: Raphael Dekemper, 41, was shot and killed in a shootout with officers on Brookside Parkway North Drive.
DOJ investigation into police shootings
In mid-AprilMayor Joe Hogsett and Baileyannounced the Department of Justice would conduct an extensive review of shootings by police after a sharp spike in 2023 when officers were involved in 17shootings that killed or injured someone. A timeline for when the results of that review would be released hasn't been provided.
Past coverage: DOJ steps in to review shootings involving Indianapolis police at Chief Bailey's request
