INDIANAPOLIS — Police say they're seeing more people use guns on the roadways, following an incident where a man was found shot and killed on I-65.
Luis Martinez-Navas, 52, was the man police say was found killed on Sunday afternoon.
Indiana State Police say they responded after a 911 caller said they saw a man slumped over the steering wheel in a stopped van on I-65 southbound, not far from MLK Boulevard.
Martinez was found dead in his car with gunshot wounds and bullet holes on the passenger side, police say.
His family says he was from Honduras, a father of two and a man of faith.
His sister, Yesenia Martinez, says he was coming from a morning of worship at church when he was shot.
But police don't know when or where the shooting happened. They don't have much information to go off of either.
"A lot of traffic, a lot of volume of people and vehicles, and these investigations can prove to be difficult because of that," ISP Sgt. John Perrine said.
ISP says it is not clear if this shooting was an act of road rage, but their numbers are showing more people are using guns on the roadways.
"This is just an alarming trend. People make mistakes while they drive. We all do, none of us are perfect drivers," Perrine said. "Don't escalate this to road rage or violence. Just take a deep breath so we can all get to our destination safely."
Martinez's death isn't the first instance of a shooting ISP has responded to on the interstate.
ISP number show there have been a number of shooting incidents in recent years:
- 2023: 54
- 2022: 66
- 2021: 65
- 2020: 23
- 2019: 9
- 2018: 9
"If you saw anything in that area, even if you were going in the opposite direction, or you were off the highway — whatever it may be — may be valuable to our investigation," Perrine said.
ISP and Crime Stoppers are offering up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Martinez's death. Anyone with information should call 317-262-8477 (TIPS).
