Indianapolis killings in March 2023
After three years of seeing more than 200 homicides annually, IndyStar is tracking each killing to better understand violence in the city and remember the victims. This list is preliminary, and the number of homicides can change as authorities investigate the circumstances of each case, determining whether the slaying was criminal, justified, accidental or suicide. IndyStar has excluded cases ruled accidents, suicides, fatal overdoses or hit-and-run deaths unless they were deemed intentional. This information is compiled using data from Indianapolis police, court records and interviews with family and friends of those killed. Anyone with information that could help a homicide investigation is asked to call the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 to remain anonymous.
Are we missing information? Email Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com or Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com.
Farrenquai Bailey, 51, dies after shooting on North Gray Street
March 30: Just before midnight officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 600 block of North Gray Street on the east side of Indianapolis. Officers found Farrenquai Bailey, 51, inside a residence with gunshot injuries and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lead detective: Gregory Shue, Douglas.Morning@indy.gov.
Stephen Flynn, 57, dies in shooting on Priscilla Avenue
March 30: Officers were called to the 1400 block of Priscilla Avenue on the east side of Indianapolis, where they found Stephen Flynn, 57, with gunshot injuries around 11 p.m.
Flynn was found outside of a residence and pronounced dead after he was taken to a hospital. His cousin and sister said he was delivering pizzas that night when he was lured to the home and killed. He began delivering pizzas a couple years ago to help with the uptick of delivery orders that coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic.
"He always said ‘People always have a smile when you bring them a pizza',” said Kevin Flynn, his cousin.
He is survived by his two children.
Lead detective: Gregory Shue, Gregory.Shue@indy.gov.
More: Stephen Flynn delivered pizzas to make people smile. He was lured, then shot, on his last order
Thomas Baughman, 64, killed in shooting outside home on Orion Avenue
March 28: Officers were dispatched to the 4900 block of Orion Avenue on the east side of Indianapolis on a report of a person shot.
They found Thomas Baughman, 64, outside a home with gunshot injuries. Baughman was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later died.
Officers surrounded the home where Baughman was found and learned the person responsible for the shooting was possibly inside.
SWAT and negotiators responded and a woman exited the home on her own. A short time later, the person of interest in the shooting, a man, exited the home and was taken into custody.
Detectives are attempting to speak with witnesses to short out the circumstances that led to the shooting.
Lead detective: Matthew Melkey, Matthew.Melkey@indy.gov.
Coreon Ta'Rell Waites, 17, dies after fatal shooting at West Michigan Street apartment complex
March 27: Officers were called to an apartment complex in the 3800 block of West Michigan Street around 6:40 p.m. on a report of a person shot.
Police found Coreon Ta'Rell Waites, 17, in an apartment building’s common stairwell with gunshot injuries. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition but later died.
Lead detective: Stephanie Herr, Stephanie.Herr2@indy.gov.
Jasmine Jaramillo Rodriguez, 13, killed in shooting at Villa Avenue house
March 26: Officers were called to the 800 block of Villa Avenue on the east side of Indianapolis on a report of a person shot around 2:45 a.m.
They found 13-year-old Jasmine Jaramillo Rodriguez inside a home with gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers also found a teenage boy with gunshot injuries.
The boy was transported to Riley Hospital in stable condition.
Detectives learned a party, with many teenagers present, was taking place before the shooting.
Neighbors are asked to look at video they have that may have captured the shooting or people and vehicles in the area at the time.
Lead detective: Colten Smith, email Colten.Smith@indy.gov.
Anthony Shelman, 30, killed in early morning shooting on Interstate 70
March 25: One man was killed, and another man was injured after a shooting on Interstate 70 caused their vehicle to crash.
Officers were called to the crash near East 21st Street and Emerson Avenue on the east side of Indianapolis around 3 a.m. They found the driver and passenger of a Nissan Altima with gunshot injuries.
Investigators determined the shooting occurred nearby on the interstate. Indiana State Police took over the investigation.
The driver of the car, identified as 30-year-old Anthony Shelman, was taken to a hospital then pronounced dead a short time later.
The 35-year-old passenger in the car was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Detectives believe occupants of another vehicle fired multiple times at the Nissan Altima. Police are working to develop a motive in the shooting.
So far this year, there have now been 11 shootings on Indianapolis-area interstates. In addition, troopers in the Indianapolis district of ISP have investigated 53 incidents of road rage where a gun was displayed or pointed but no shots were fired.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.
Brian Scott Williams, 53, fatally shot outside residence on South Meridian Street
March 24: Officers arrived in the 3400 block of South Meridian Street around 3 p.m. to find Brian Scott Williams, 53, outside a residence suffering from gunshot wounds. An ambulance took Williams to a hospital where he later died.
Less than 24 hours later, police announced the arrest of 21-year-old Antwone Ervin in connection with the shooting. Detectives identified Ervin as a suspect after speaking with witnesses. Police encountered Ervin the day after the killing then arrested him.
More: Brian Williams 'did nothing' to provoke fatal S. Meridian Street shooting, witness says
Keith Brown, 54, killed in shooting on North Rural Street
March 22: One man was killed in a shooting around 2 p.m. outside a home in the 2400 block of North Rural Street on the east side of Indianapolis.
Officers were called to the scene on a report of a person shot and found Keith Brown, 54, critically injured. He was transported to the hospital, where he died.
A person involved in the shooting returned to the scene to speak with detectives. The person was released from custody, pending further investigation, after detectives consulted with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
Lead detective: Dustin Keedy, Dustin.Keedy@indy.gov
Corey Duncan, 16, killed in shooting on Chapelwood Boulevard
March 19: Corey Duncan, 16, was killed in shooting on Indianapolis’ west side around 8 a.m.
Police were called on a report of a person shot and found Duncan outside in the 800 block of Chapelwood Boulevard. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lead detective: Christopher Edwards, Christopher.Edwards@indy.gov.
Julius Simpson, 29, shot and killed on Beckwith Drive
March 18: Julius Simpson, 29, was shot and killed around 1 p.m. on the east side of Indianapolis.
Officers were called to an apartment complex in the 2400 block of Beckwith Drive in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood. They found Simpson with gunshot wounds outside and he later died at a hospital.
Lead detective: Christopher Edwards, Christopher.Edwards@indy.gov.
Joshua Calderon, 18, dies three days after shooting on Chatsbee Court
March 12: Police responded to a report of a person shot on March 9 just after 11 p.m. in the 3600 block of Chatsbee Court on the city's west side.
Officers found Joshua Calderon, 18, with gunshot injuries, and he was transported to a hospital in critical condition. Calderon was pronounced dead by medical staff a few days later, on March 12.
Lead detective: Jose Torres, Jose.Torres@indy.gov.
John Roger Moore Jr., 36, fatally shot North Sherman Drive
March 9: Officers responded to the 3100 block of North Sherman Drive on a report of a person shot just before 7 p.m. They found John Roger Moore Jr., 36, with gunshot wounds and he was transported to a hospital.
Moore was pronounced dead by medical staff.
Lead detective: Matthew Melkey, Matthew.Melkey@indy.gov.
Timothy Sannito, 52, killed in shooting in Greenwood parking lot
March 8: Officers from the Greenwood Police Department were called to the parking lot of a strip mall, at 997 East County Line Road, on a report of a person shot.
Police found Timothy Sannito, 52 with a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to a hospital, where he died.
A witness told police they saw Sannito arguing with another man in the parking lot. The man shot Sannito then fled in a dark SUV, the witness stated.
Marco Antonio Gonzalez, 25, was arrested and is facing a charge of murder in connection with the shooting, according to a news release from the Greenwood Police Department sent on March 13.
Court docs: Man arrested in fatal Greenwood shooting told police 'I didn't know the guy'
Walker Lewis Whatley III, 19, killed in shooting outside Thomas Carr Howe building
March 7: Walker Lewis Whatley III, 19, was killed in a shooting outside the former Thomas Carr Howe High School as a basketball game took place inside.
Officers responded about 8:20 p.m. to 4900 Julian Avenue in the Irvington neighborhood on the city's east side on a report of a person shot and found Whatley.
Thomas Carr Howe High School is not an operational school, but the building is owned by Indianapolis Public Schools, said Marc Ransford, a media relations coordinator with the district.
The basketball game was a non-IPS-sponsored event. Ransford did not know if the participants in the game were children or adults.
As police investigated Tuesday night, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department tweeted there was no active threat to the community or school. The department asked parents to pick up their children.
Whatley was transported to a hospital, where he died. Officers detained a person of interest with assistance from community members and searched to ensure no one else was injured in the shooting.
After consultation with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office the person of interest was released pending further investigation.
“We want to thank the witnesses and community members who stayed on scene and provided essential information to our detectives,” a Tweet from IMPD reads.
Lead detective: Stephanie Herr, Stephanie.Herr2@indy.gov.
Man arrested in shooting death of Donnie Lee Sanders, 35, near Lucas Oil Stadium
March 6: Police arrested a man in connection with a fatal shooting downtown that caused the lockdown of the Indiana Convention Center.
Officers responded to the 500 block of South Capitol Avenue, near Lucas Oil Stadium, just before 10 p.m. on a report of a person shot on March 6. They found Donnie Lee Sanders, 35, on the sidewalk with gunshot injuries near Missouri Street and South Street outside the stadium.
Sanders was pronounced dead at the scene. Two days later, police announced they arrested Elijah Hayes, 25, in connection with the shooting. The Marion County Prosecutor's Office will make the final charging decision.
More: Donnie Sanders walked 5 miles to downtown Indy for work. He was killed on his smoke break.
Officers were told the shooter had entered the nearby Indiana Convention Center while investigating. The convention center was placed on lockdown by security and staff and everyone inside was advised to shelter in place.
The stadium and convention center were both closed at the time of the shooting. The convention center’s schedule shows it was not hosting an event on the day of the shooting.
Officers cleared the convention center. Investigators reviewed video footage and learned the suspect had exited the convention center in an "unknown direction of travel."
Police worked with security at the Indiana Convention Center and were confident the suspect was unable to re-enter the building. The lockdown was lifted around midnight and officers re-opened surrounding streets.
Lead detective: Christopher Higgins, Christopher.Higgins@indy.gov.
Hector Luiz Rodriguez-Rodriguez, 39, dies in shooting near E. 42nd and Franklin Road
March 6: Officers responded just after 5 p.m. to the intersection of Aspen Way and Montery Road in a northeast-side residential neighborhood near East 42nd Street and North Franklin Road.
Officers found two men with gunshot injuries and both were taken to hospitals. One of the men was in stable condition, while the second man was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The man killed was identified as Hector Luiz Rodriguez-Rodriguez, 39.
Lead detective: Anthony Johnson, email Anthony.Johnson@indy.gov
Dorothy Brinker, 36, dies from gunshot wounds on Oak Avenue in Irvington
March 6: Just after 2 a.m. officers found a woman with fatal gunshot wounds in the 6000 block of Oak Avenue in Irvington.
Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services pronounced her dead at the scene. The Marion County Coroner's Office later identified her as 36-year-old Dorothy Brinker.
Days after the killing police arrested her husband, David Brinker Jr., in connection with her killing.
Lead detective: Kyle Hoover, Kyle.Hoover@indy.gov.
More: 'I think I just killed my wife': Husband charged in shooting death of Dorothy Brinker
Man arrested after one shot, Willie Hoskins Jr. killed early Sunday on west side
March 5: One man was killed and another injured in a shooting on Indy's west side.
Just after 3 a.m. Sunday, police responded to 3700 block of West Washington Street and found a man who had been shot. The man was transported to the hospital in stable condition. Shortly after, police learned of another person shot in the 3700 block of Rockville Road and found an injured man inside a vehicle.
Willie Hoskins Jr., 39, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Police announced Sunday afternoon that 58-year-old Jerome Booth had been arrested for his alleged involvement. After detaining Booth at the scene, police said he was preliminarily arrested on suspicion of murder after further investigation. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will make formal charging decisions.
Lead detective: Christopher Winter, Christopher.Winter@indy.gov.
More: Indianapolis police find body in trunk after injured man flees to gas station
Police investigating death of Ashley Crook, 34, on South Emerson Avenue
March 3: Police are investigating the Friday death of a woman on the east side of Indianapolis as a homicide, IMPD said Sunday. The woman was identified as Ashley Crook, 34.
Just after 4 p.m. Friday, police responded to the 1000 block of South Emerson Avenue to a report of a death investigation.
On the scene, officers found Crook with injuries caused by trauma, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services.
Lead detective: Gary Toms, Gary.Toms@indy.gov.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis killings in March 2023
