Questions surround officer's shooting of homeowner
INDIANAPOLIS — Questions remain about how an armed Indianapolis homeowner, who called police to say his wife was robbed at gunpoint, wound up being shot by a police officer Tuesday.
Police still don't know what the nine-year Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department veteran said, if anything, to the homeowner before shooting him once in the stomach.
And it's unknown how the 48-year-old homeowner approached officers as they arrived at the scene.
It's also unclear whether the homeowner's clothing matched the description of the robbery suspect, or whether he raised his weapon before being wounded.
But officials are certain that the incident should not have ended with the man hospitalized after being shot by one of the very officers he called for help.
"Our homeowner, the individual who was trying his best to protect himself and his wife from any other harm, was shot mistakenly by our officers," Maj. Richard Riddle, of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference. "This incident occurred within a few seconds, and those judgment calls are made within a few split seconds.
"She was victimized, and unfortunately now, her husband was victimized as well."
According to Assistant Chief Randal Taylor, the investigation began shortly before 4:30 a.m., when a man called 911 and said an armed suspect stole his wife’s car keys in front of the couple’s home on the east side of Indianapolis, and drove off in their black Nissan Sentra.
The homeowner, who is black, described the suspect who robbed his wife as a black man wearing a red shirt and carrying a rifle. In an edited 911 call played during the news conference, the man can be heard referring to the suspect's weapon as a "long gun."
While on the call with dispatchers, the homeowner wife's can he heard sobbing and frantically trying to explain what happened in the background. The homeowner does his best to comfort her.
"It's OK. It's OK," the homeowner repeats.
At the end of the 911 call, the homeowner can be heard shouting "is that him?" in reference to the possible suspect. The 911 call then disconnects, and dispatchers are unable to reconnect with the homeowner.
At no point does the homeowner tell dispatchers that he is armed.
When they arrived outside the home, officers saw a black Nissan sedan backed into the driveway with the lights on, Taylor said. Officers took cover and ran the plates of the vehicle.
But before police could learn who owned the car, the garage door opened and the homeowner came out.
That is when the officer, identified as Christopher Mills, shot the homeowner once in the stomach, Taylor said. It's unclear whether more rounds were fired. A second officer on the scene, an eight-year veteran, did not fire his weapon.
In the 911 call, no vocal exchange could be heard between the homeowner and officer who fired his weapon. Riddle and Taylor said it was still unclear whether the officer gave any verbal commands to the homeowner.
The homeowner's handgun was recovered from the home, but there was no indication that the homeowner raised his weapon, fired his weapon or brandished it in a threatening way.
Investigators have not spoken with the officer who fired his weapon or the homeowner who was wounded. The homeowner was rushed into surgery before detectives could question him, Riddle said, and the officer did not release a statement before seeking counsel. He’s been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation, which is standard in officer-involved shootings. The homeowner is expected to survive.
"This was a tragic event with numerous circumstances that collided all at once," Taylor said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the homeowner."
The robber, who held the man’s wife at gunpoint and took her car keys, had fled before police arrived. Riddle said it doesn't appear that the suspect got away with anything else, but he remains on the loose.
"Police are given pretty sketchy information most of the time,” said Thomas J. Aveni, executive director of the Police Policy Studies Council, a law enforcement training and consultation corporation.
When officers arrive at a scene, Aveni said, they only know what callers have told dispatchers. Accurate suspect descriptions and detailed explanations of suspected crimes are rare, making it difficult for officers to know what they’re walking into.
Aveni, a former officer, said factors such as light, proximity and disposition of the gun would also play a role in an officer's decision to use deadly force.
Chris Grollnek, an expert on active shooter situations, said it falls on police departments "to do community policing and teach people that, if you call the police, and you're calling them to report a (person) with a gun, don't be the (person) with a gun when they show up.
"Everybody can blame police and everybody can blame the homeowner, but that's callous," said Grollnek, a retired officer from the McKinney Police Department in Texas. "I'm not blaming either; what I'm saying is, the challenge is reinventing the police role in communities."
Riddle said homeowners with guns who call 911 should use caution.
"If you call 911, and you know the officers are on their way, clearly we have guns, and the last thing that we want to do is confront a legal owner of a firearm and a homeowner that's doing their best to protect their family," Riddle said.
Jabari Lewis, 32, who lives next door to the victim, heard gunshots, but didn't get out of bed until the police sirens came.
Lewis said the shooting was unfortunate, but he’s comforted in knowing that his neighbor is expected to live. If he had died, it would have been tragic.
“I think that what’s more unsettling is that the (carjacker) is on the loose, the suspect was not captured,” said Lewis.
Contributing: Vic Ryckaert, The Indianapolis Star. Follow Michael Anthony Adams, Justin L. Mack and Holly V. Hays on Twitter: @michaeladams317, @justinlmack and @hollyvhays