Indianapolis gun deal may have led to gunfire in death of Elijah Martin

Update: This article was updated Aug. 2, 2023 with more information after police announced a second arrest in the case.

Moments after a bullet entered his chest, Elijah Martin stumbled from the stairwell of a north-side Indianapolis apartment complex to a courtyard where police found him bleeding on the ground. Martin, 19, named the person he said had pulled the trigger, telling police it was a man who used to date his sister.

Medics rushed Martin from the 3300 block of North Meridian Street to Eskenazi Hospital where he died within an hour. Less than two weeks later, detectives with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department have made an arrest in the case.

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On Monday, IMPD Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Violent Crimes Unit (VCU) brought 18-year-old Jeremiah Shanks into custody. After further investigation, police arrested Shanks for his suspected role in Martin's killing, according to an IMPD news release.

Shanks has denied any involvement in Martin's death, according to a probable cause affidavit for his arrest.

On Aug. 2, Indianapolis police announced the arrest of 18-year-old Adrian Bond Jr. in the case. He is booked on felony murder and robbery charges.

Detectives reviewed raw security footage from crime scene

Police began their investigation on July 12 after officers were flagged down by a man on N. Meridian Street who told them someone nearby had been shot. Officers arrived outside a multi-building, multi-story apartment complex where they found Martin suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

After aiding Martin, officers secured the north entrance to the building where he was injured and police entered its stairwell. Officers found a fired 9mm shell casing and a live 9mm round on the first landing, according to an affidavit.

Later, investigators interviewed Martin's family and learned his sister had dated Shanks. Detectives were told Shanks and Martin had traded a gun with each other one day before his death. During a separate interview, the mother of Martin's child told detectives she had spoken to Martin over the phone roughly 20 minutes before he was fatally shot.

Martin said he was on his way to meet two people and trade firearms and $540 in cash, according to the affidavit.

Investigators reviewed raw surveillance footage from five security cameras at the apartment complex. At approximately 12:18 p.m. on July 12, video footage captured two men exiting an apartment and walking south down Meridian Street. A handgun can be seen tucked into the waistband of the man detectives identified as Shanks, according to the affidavit.

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Outdoor video footage showed Shanks and a second person greet Martin and the three men return inside the apartment complex at 12:19 p.m. Less than a minute later, Martin can be seen stumbling out the front door and falling to the ground, the affidavit states.

Investigators say security cameras caught two men fleeing west and running into another building after Martin was shot.

As the investigation continued, detectives say they were shown an Instagram Live in which the host was talking about the shooting and claiming not to be involved. The investigator in the affidavit said they "immediately" recognized one of the participants as the second person who was with Shanks and Martin when the trio walked into the apartment hallway.

Investigators learned the person on Instagram Live worked at a nearby restaurant, where they were told the man in the stream is Bond.

Bond was taken into custody Aug. 1. Police showed Bond a still photo from the apartment surveillance video, which they say he confirmed was him. He at first told police he went to the apartment complex for a birthday party, the affidavit says, then later explained he went to trade a Glock 10mm handgun.

On July 20, detectives sat down with Shanks' mother, who identified her son in surveillance footage captured at the apartment complex, according to the affidavit. Shanks' mother called her son on the phone in front of detectives and told him she was speaking with police. Detectives asked Shanks to visit their office and talk about what had happened.

Shanks agreed to meet, according to the affidavit, saying he would arrive within the hour, but never showed.

Four days later, on July 24, Shanks was found at an east-side hotel and taken into custody. A search warrant conducted at the hotel room where he was staying uncovered a black 9mm Glock handgun stuffed between a mattress and box spring, a probable cause affidavit states.

Online court records Tuesday showed Shanks is facing charges of murder, robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and armed robbery. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will review the case and make the final charging decision.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis Crime: north side gun deal may have led to gunfire, death