Security guard, customer both dead in shooting at Indy Menards

John Tufts, Indianapolis Star
Updated ·1 min read

Updated: This article was updated with additional information on the deceased on Aug. 31, 2023.

A store security guard and a customer are both dead after a double shooting at a home improvement store on the east side of Indianapolis.

On Wednesday evening, officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to a call at a Menards store on East 42nd Street and found two men with gunshot wounds.

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They were rushed to area hospitals in critical condition, said Captain Don Weilhammer with IMPD. The security officer was pronounced deceased shortly after arriving at Eskenazi, Weilhammer said, and the other man died in surgery.

“It does appear that they were shooting at each other,” Weilhammer said. “Unfortunately, now another life has been lost because people don't want to resolve conflict without resorting to violence like this.”

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department investigates a double shooting at a Menards home improvement store on East 42nd Street on Aug. 30, 2023.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department investigates a double shooting at a Menards home improvement store on East 42nd Street on Aug. 30, 2023.

The two men were identified as 24-year-old Olajawon Malik Cowherd and 39-year-old Justin Andrew Do, but police haven't yet revealed which person was the security guard and who was the shopper.

Police are still investigating what may have led to the shooting, which happened at the lumber yard’s exit. The lumber yard was closed Wednesday evening but the rest of the store was open.

Shopper Anthony Patton, 67, of Indianapolis, who arrived at the store after the shooting, said he's been buying lumber at Menards for the past five years.

“It’s a good place to shop,” Patton said. “I’ve never had problems. The people at the lumber yard are nice.”

This story is developing and will be updated.

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John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Security guard, customer dead in shooting at Indianapolis Menards