'Prior beef' preceded gunfire between two groups on Indy canal; IMPD searching for suspects

The gunfire that erupted early Wednesday morning on downtown Indianapolis' Canal Walk was sparked by a "prior beef" between two groups of people, law enforcement officials said, and police are searching for multiple suspects in the case.

A 17-year-old girl and three other women, ranging in age from 18 to 24, were wounded in the exchange of gunfire between the groups, who were on opposite sides of the canal. All four people were in stable condition.

Shortly after the shooting, officers found another person wounded near the canal from a self-inflected gunshot wound. Police initially said that person was not connected to the shooting but later told IndyStar he was part of the group of four who were shot. He shot himself in the foot.

Canal shooting: 4 people hurt in shooting near Canal Walk in downtown Indianapolis, police say

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Deputy Chief Kendale Adams told IndyStar investigators believe the so-called beef that sparked the shooting occurred before the two groups saw each other on the canal shortly after midnight.

"We think this was something that may have occurred previously," Adams said. "They saw each other, words were exchanged and then the shots."

IMPD Wednesday afternoon tweeted a photo from surveillance footage showing seven people on one side of the canal and four people on the other, asking anyone who might recognize them to contact detectives.

It is not clear why the people were walking on the canal near the orange pedestrian bridge and the Colts Canal Playspace at the time, and Adams said the five people wounded in the shooting haven't cooperated with investigators. Detectives were still trying to determine their exact roles in the shooting Wednesday afternoon.

Surveillance footage from homes along the canal has played a "huge role" in the investigation, Adams noted. Some of that footage, Adams said, "captured a portion of the shooting" and will play a role in identifying suspects.

"Some of the neighbors over there have called us with their own Ring door cameras and things like that," Adams said. "So we're compiling all of that video footage to hopefully give us a good picture of who these individuals are."

By about 10 a.m. Wednesday, people could be seen running and walking along the same stretches of the canal where bullets flew less than 12 hours earlier. One man walked hand-in-hand with his young daughter. A woman pushed a baby in a stroller. Children laughed as they climbed around a nearby playground.

Few were aware of the morning's events.

"That's really terrible," said one woman, who was supervising the school children on the playground. "I had no idea."

Ethan Wright, who lives just a couple blocks from the canal, told IndyStar he, too, was not aware of the shooting. He said he often walks along the canal but tends to avoid the area at night.

"I'm not too worried," Wright said after hearing of the shooting. Still, he noted it wasn't the first instance of violence on the call, referencing the Oregon State play-by-play announcer who was tackled by a man while walking on the canal during March Madness last year.

"You gotta keep an eye out," Wright said.

Despite Wednesday morning's violence, Adams, the deputy chief, said the shooting doesn't mean downtown Indianapolis is a dangerous area. Rather, it's indicative of a general attitude of carelessness among young people.

"It goes back to this whole discussion of access to guns, conflict resolution and, you know, young adults with no hope," Adams said.

"Out at almost one o'clock in the morning, walking on the canal, and, you know, some petty beef turns into: 'I don't care I'm just gonna pull out a gun start shooting.'"

Police ask anyone with information about the shooting to call 317-327-3475. Anonymous tips can be given to Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 or (TIPS).

Contact Lawrence Andrea at 317-775-4313 or landrea@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @lawrencegandrea.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis Canal Walk shooting starts over prior beef, IMPD says