INDIANAPOLIS — A man has died and an officer was injured following a shooting on the east side of Indianapolis Thursday evening.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said the shooting happened inside of the Burger King on 21st and Shadeland Avenue just before 6 p.m. Thursday. They said the man killed took an officer's weapon and shot him in the leg before the officer, who IMPD has since identified as 5-year veteran Patrol Officer Nicolas Deem, returned fire and killed him.
The man was later identified as 37-year-old Frederick Davis.
"The officer used his secondary weapon and shot the suspect at least once," said IMPD Assistant Chief Chris Bailey.
It is IMPD's 14th officer-involved shooting this year.
"We understand the anxiety that exists in both our community and in our department," Bailey said. "Everybody wants an answer on why these are occurring in such a close proximity. We don't have that answer."
IMPD said the situation started when Davis trespassed into the Rodeway Inn across Shadeland Avenue from the Burger King. Davis ran away from officers and entered the restaurant, where employees said he started to act erratically.
"The guy came in a rush trying to go to the bathroom," recalled Ashley Lawrence, who was working the front counter at the time of the incident. "I told him the bathroom was closed and he proceeded to undress."
IMPD said officers tried to arrest Davis for trespassing, but he fought back.
"They started tussling in the hall a little bit and the guy said, 'You all are going to have to kill me," Lawrence recalled. "Next thing I know, it was, 'pop, pop, pop.' I heard four shots and I ran to the back."
Officer Deem suffered a graze wound injury and was transported to the hospital in “stable but good condition.” In an update on Oct. 30, IMPD updated to say the officers suffered worse injuries than originally stated.
"The officer has significant bullet fragments in his leg, with the largest fragment being is close to his femur. The doctor believes some of those fragments may stay in his leg forever," the update said.
Davis was transported to the hospital in critical condition but later died.
Several of Davis' family members came to the Burger King after the shooting. They told WRTV Davis was homeless and suffered from mental illness.
"Why would they shoot him?" asked his aunt, "l'm telling the kids to put the guns down, but how are the kids going to learn to put the guns down if the police shot nine people since August, and this is the tenth. I don't know what the solution is."
The shooting was captured by both the officers' body-worn cameras and surveillance cameras inside of the Burger King.
IMPD is investigating the incident through their internal affairs department and the Use of Force Review Board will review the incident after criminal proceedings are complete.
The officer involved in the shooting is on paid administrative leave.
