Lyft driver shot and killed by Indianapolis man who then drove to visit family, police say
Anthony Garland was driving for Lyft when he was shot multiple times and killed by a man who called for a ride on Indianapolis’ west side on June 30, according to investigators.
Firefighters found Garland lying face down in the grass in the 3000 block of Waterfront Parkway West Drive around 6 a.m. when they were dispatched nearby on an unrelated call.
Garland had a visible head injury, blood near his face, blood stains on his shirt and legs, and what appeared to be six gunshot wounds, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
A plastic glove with blood on it was found near Garland. No property, including identification, were found on his body, police said. A detective sent out a department-wide email asking officers to notify him of any missing person reports matching the man’s description.
Close to 4 p.m. that same day, an officer took a missing person report for a man which led investigators to identify Garland. The man’s wife told police she last spoke with him around midnight when he was working for Lyft. She gave a description of the car he was driving.
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Records from Lyft showed the last account that called for a ride from Garland belonged to Devin Powell, 24, who was arrested in connection with Garland’s death, according to police.
With the help of a company the man’s wife worked for, police used GPS tracking to locate Garland’s car in Merrillville, about two hours north of Indianapolis.
Detectives in Merrillville located and stopped the vehicle, with Powell driving and another man in the passenger seat. There were blood stains around the center console, according to a probable cause affidavit for Powell’s arrest.
The passenger from the vehicle told police that Powell is his cousin, who drove up to Merrillville that day from Indianapolis for a family function and that the car was Powell’s, according to the affidavit.
Powell first told police he found the vehicle running with the doors open on Waterfront Parkway as he was walking to the gas station. Powell stated, "he watched the car for a few minutes and when no one came around, he got in the car and drove it away," according to the affidavit.
Later, Powell told police he used his Lyft account to call a ride and then shot Garland, investigators said. Powell stated the shooting was in self defense as Garland was "trying to screw him over and take his money," the affidavit reads.
Powell also told police he pulled Garland out of the vehicle then changed clothes before going to buy new covers for the front two seats to cover up blood stains, according to the affidavit.
Powell was preliminarily charged with murder and robbery, according to police. Information on whether Powell had retained or been assigned an attorney was not yet available in online court records before publication of this story.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Detective Christopher Edwards at the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or e-mail him at Christopher.Edwards@indy.gov.
Alternatively, those with information can remain anonymous and submit information to Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IMPD: Indianapolis Lyft driver shot and killed by passenger
