INDIANAPOLIS — Adam Sykes' family is speaking up and demanding answers from IMPD after he was shot and killed by police months ago.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, on February 25, around 2:30 a.m., officers went to a gas station on State Avenue and Washington Street on an assault run.
Sykes, who was at the gas station at that time, was approached by Officer Sydner, who was already familiar with him due to an existing arrest warrant.
Police tried talking to Sykes, who ran away.
After a short foot chase, IMPD said the officer told Sykes to take his hands out of his pockets or he would be tased. That's when investigators say the officer fired his taser, and Sykes fell to the ground.
Police say a handgun also fell. Sykes allegedly reached for the gun and was shot by the officer.
“The murder of my cousin Adam Sykes at the hands of Officer Grant Snyder has been a traumatic and unnecessary occurrence. This is not a case of retaliation or street justice. This is a case of state-sanctioned murder,” Anika Green, Skyes cousin, said.
Community leaders are weighing in after IMPD recently released edited body camera footage of the incident. One group is arguing for access to raw footage, while another group is still working to bridge the gap and build trust between the community and law enforcement.
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"We certainly honor what police officers are doing, and we also want to make sure that a community member that could have gone home safely or could have been handled in a different way," Rev David Greene Sr., President of the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis said.
"It's always very frustrating at first because the police of course narrate the video. They edit the video, so their side of the story is what gets foregrounded," Derek Ford, Organizational Relations Director of Indy Liberation Center said.
Ford said it's about transparency and accountability.
"The victims are always sort of demonized and villainized precisely because the police have basically absolute control over what information is released and when," Ford said.
Although officer-involved shooting numbers are down, Rev Greene said there is still more work to be done.
"We need community members to know that, you know, if you reach for a gun, it's going to be a bad outcome. So it's both sides. It's both sides have to work at it. There may be additional training items on the law enforcement side," Greene said.
