INDIANAPOLIS — A probable cause affidavit says a confrontation days before led to a man's death last month on the city's west side.
Leon Brewer, 57, of Indianapolis is accused of fatally shooting Charles Cole, 53 on Jan. 27 in the 200 block of Bertha Court.
A family member told police she and Cole were in the area to meet a locksmith who was trying to make a new key for her car. The key had a chip inside that required the work of a special locksmith.
According to the affidavit, two days before the shooting, Brewer came out of a bedroom with a gun and took the woman's purse and car keys. She was able to get away.
The woman and Cole returned to the car to meet the locksmith on Jan. 27. The affidavit says Cole began to confront Brewer about what happened when Brewer shot Cole.
Brewer told detectives he considered Cole a friend and claimed the woman had a gun and hit him with it.
Detectives interviewed Brewer for more than an hour. During that time, he told them that blood on his jeans may have been from a paper cut on his hand, despite detectives not seeing one.
Brewer also claimed he was not around Cole when he was shot and he didn't know the shooting occurred until after the fact.
An autopsy showed Cole died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Brewer is charged with felony counts of murder and carrying a handgun with a prior conviction. Online court records show a jury trial is scheduled for April 11.
