Prosecutors will seek death penalty in killing of Elwood Police Officer Noah Shahnavaz
The Madison County Prosecutor’s Office will seek the death penalty against the man charged in the killing of Elwood Police Officer Noah Shahnavaz, officials on Wednesday announced.
Carl Roy Webb Boards II, of Anderson, is accused of fatally shooting Shahnavaz on July 31 during a traffic stop near the intersection of State Road 37 and County Road 1100 North. Boards is charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and two counts of resisting law enforcement in the case.
“The death sentence is the law in the state of Indiana and if it was going to be pursued, this is the kind of case where it needs to be pursued,” said Prosecutor Rodney Cummings. He said the decision was made after consulting with Shahnavaz's family — who was in attendance at Wednesday's conference — Indiana's death penalty committee, other prosecutors and Indiana's Attorney General's Office.
Responding authorities found Shahnavaz, 24, inside his patrol car with multiple bullet wounds and attempted to perform life-saving measures on him before he was taken by helicopter to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, where he later died.
In ‘small-town’ Elwood, Officer Noah Shahnavaz’s killing sends community reeling
Shahnavaz had been on the force for 11 months.
Police detained Boards a short time after the shooting. The 42-year-old led officers on a pursuit until police used a “stop stick” meant to deflate tires. Fishers police then used their vehicles to stop the Buick that Boards was driving in.
Investigators in a probable cause affidavit about Boards’ arrest said officers found a 9mm handgun on his person and an AK-47-style rifle with a high-capacity magazine inside his car.
IndyStar has reached out to Boards' attorney for comment.
Boards had previously been convicted for shooting at another police officer in 2006. He was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment, then released in 2019 by the Indiana Department of Correction.
Cummings, a prosecutor of 24 years, said he's "never seen" a case like this before.
"Is it among the worst of the worst? Absolutely," he said, adding there "wasn't any other decision" after the family said they were willing to go through a likely lengthy prosecution − which Cummings said can be a 15 to 20-year process.
Wednesday's announcement comes after another recent police shooting that critically injured Richmond, Indiana K-9 Officer Seara Burton. Doug Carter, Superintendent of Indiana State Police, said he hopes the decision to pursue the death penalty in Shahnavaz's case "sends a message" of accountability.
"I don't understand where we've lost the value of human life," he said. "We've got real problems, and it's this kind of response, this kind of family, this kind of a community, that will maybe send a message because it's all about accountability. And until these individuals are accountable, we're going to continue to see this."
In a statement, Shahnavaz's father, Matt, asked everyone to remember his firstborn son.
"My family misses Noah more than words can express," he said.
He placed a pair of black sunglasses on the podium, explaining they were his son's favorite, which sometimes drew playful teasing from others in the police department about the way he wore them.
"If you saw Noah, you knew a pair of shades would be close by," he said. "If you want a simple way that you can remember Noah, wear your sunglasses on the back of your head."
Boards' next appearance in court is scheduled for Sept. 30.
More:How a mural artist's chance encounter with Officer Noah Shahnavaz led to a tribute
Contact Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com or 317-503-7514.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Prosecutor seeing death penalty in killing of Indiana police officer
