INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis police officer’s fatal shooting of a black man following a pursuit was apparently captured in part on Facebook Live video, prompting dozens of angry people to converge on the shooting scene.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Assistant Chief Chris Bailey said officers observed someone driving recklessly on Interstate 65 and began a pursuit Wednesday evening. After supervisors ordered an end to that pursuit because the vehicle was moving close to 90 mph (145 kph), it was later spotted by an officer on a city street before being parked.
The officer left his vehicle, which prompted the man to run, Bailey said. He was shot about 6 p.m. Wednesday during the ensuing confrontation, which involved only the man and the officer, both of whom are black, The Indianapolis Star reported.
Investigators said they found a gun near the man, who police have not yet identified. The officer who fatally shot the man has also not been identified by police.
Following the shooting, several community activists and neighborhood organizers converged at the shooting scene to express outrage over a Facebook Live recording circulating on social media that captured part of the pursuit. More than 100 people gathered, with many chanting, “No justice, no peace.”
The video shows a young, shirtless man as he was driving, with a police car apparently following him.
A short time later, the man is laughing and cheering as he thinks he lost the trailing officer. “I’m not going to jail today!” he shouts.
But moments later, the man appears unsure where he has driven and says in the recording, “Please come get me. Please come get me!”
The man then appears to park his car and leave it, followed by inaudible shouting and popping sounds, at which point the man appears to drop his phone or collapse. More popping sounds are then heard.
The video also captures a conversation after the shooting but it is not clear who is speaking in which a male voice is heard saying, “I think it’s going to be a closed casket, homie.” It’s an apparent reference to a closed casket funeral.
Bailey said investigators were aware of videos posted to Facebook. He said they are preserving the videos but were not prepared to confirm their authenticity.
About eight hours of that fatal police shooting, Indianapolis police fatally shot another man after officers were called to investigate a burglary in-progress at an apartment complex.
Police said a man armed with a rifle shot at four responding officers as they approached the apartment early Thursday. Officers returned fire and struck the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
