INDIANAPOLIS — On Friday, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department released body-cam video of an officer-involved shooting that occurred in October.
The department released the Critical Incident Video of the Oct. 19 police shooting at a gas station located near the intersection of Raymond and Shelby streets on the city’s south side.
The video begins in the 2000 block of Shelby Street, where IMPD says officers had just completed an unrelated robbery investigation when they were approached by a citizen.
In the video, police say the citizen told them that a man, later identified as 38-year-old Antoine Beech, was sitting in a white Impala parked at the gas station pumps and had an active warrant for his arrest.
According to IMPD, officers approached Beech, who was sitting in the front passenger seat with a firearm within his reach.
In the video, officers can be heard giving the following commands to Beech:
Officer #1: Let me see your hands.
Officer #2: Don’t do it.
Officer #1: Get your hands up.
Officer #2: Hands up.
In statements to investigators, officers stated Beech moved his right hand to his left side, where the gun was. IMPD Patrol Officer Ryan Thomas then discharged his firearm, striking Beech in his right hand. Beech also had a laceration to his chest.
VIDEO: The following may contain sensitive content for some viewers
After the shooting, Beech can be heard saying, “You shot me.”
Thomas’ body-worn camera did not activate during the incident. Officer #2’s body-worn camera did not activate automatically.
Beech was transported to a local hospital in stable condition.
No officers or uninvolved citizens were injured during this incident.
Beech was arrested on warrants for dealing cocaine, resisting law enforcement and operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.
Beech’s attorney released the following statement:
Over the course of the last several months, Indianapolis has been plagued by an increase in police-action shootings. Antoine Beech is one of the latest victims of this appalling trend.On October 19th, 2023, IMPD officers were approached by a female who claimed that an individual in her car had an active arrest warrant. Without corroborating her statement, IMPD officers approached the vehicle occupied by Antoine Beech. IMPD quickly drew their weapons and held Antoine at gun point. IMPD Officer Ryan Thomas shot Antoine Beech through Antonie’s right hand and into his chest.We were extremely disappointed to learn that Officer Thomas’ body-worn camera was conveniently not operational during this encounter. The lack of this impartial and unbiased evidence, which is supposed to reduce tensions caused by officer-involved shootings by providing an accurate record of what was done by whom and in what sequence, will now forever deny us the ability to determine whether this shooting was justified or another example of an excessive and unnecessary use of force by law enforcement.
IMPD says its Critical Incident Response Team responded to the scene to conduct the criminal investigation. A separate administrative investigation is being conducted by IMPD Internal Affairs.
The civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board will conduct a mandatory hearing for any attempted use of deadly force against a person. This occurs after the conclusion of the criminal process.
