Indianapolis Protesters Seek Autopsy Results, Accountability in Officer-Involved Shootings

Protesters marched through downtown Indianapolis Wednesday night, again demanding accountability in the fatal officer-involved shooting deaths of two Black men in early May.

The demonstrators, led by Indy10 Black Lives Matter and other groups, demanded that authorities release the autopsy results of  21-year-old Dreasjon Reed and 19-year-old McHale Rose, shot on May 6 and May 7 respectively by officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Protesters also reiterated their call for charges to be filed against the officers who shot the men.

Indy10 Black Lives Matter member Erika Haskins said refusing to release the autopsies exasperates the families’ pain and raises more suspicion about police conduct.

“They still haven’t seen the autopsies, no officers have been criminally charged and the chief has not even recommended discipline for any of them,” Haskins said.

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Reed’s shooting came at the culmination of a now-viral Facebook Live video in which the 21-year-old recorded himself driving while being pursued by IMPD. Reed abandoned his car and then was chased on foot by an officer.

Police say the officer first tried to use a stun gun, but it was “ineffective,” and a confrontation involving the exchange of gunfire between the officer and Reed followed. Reed was fatally shot. No officers were injured.

While police said they recovered a loaded gun near Reed that had been fired at least once, Reed family attorneys denied he pointed or fired a gun.

Reed’s mother has since filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Indianapolis and the IMPD for their role in his death. In addition, Marion Superior Court Judge Heather Welch appointed Rosemary Khoury as the special prosecutor in the investigation into Reed’s death.

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Hours after Reed was shot, IMPD officers were called to investigate a burglary in progress, according to IMPD officials.

When four police officers arrived at the scene, police said, they were shot at by a man standing outside the apartment with a rifle.

Police returned fire and struck the suspect, who was later identified by the Marion County Coroner’s Office as McHale Rose. No officers were injured.

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