'Trivial' disagreement leads to deadly shooting at north-side apartment complex
INDIANAPOLIS — A petty past disagreement triggered the fatal shooting at an apartment complex on the north side of Indianapolis on Monday morning, according to court records.
The new details were revealed Friday after Indianapolis police announced the arrest of Frank Alexander, 29, in the death of 47-year-old Christopher Brown.
Police in a probable cause affidavit state witnesses reported seeing the pair fighting at the apartment complex, in the 2300 block of Hillside Avenue, and hearing six gunshots shortly later. Friends and employees on the property told police the men were known to have animosity toward each other, but shared different accounts about what the deadly fight stemmed from; giving theories that ranged from name-calling to an argument about a light bulb.
The witness statements, along with video surveillance footage from the apartment complex capturing the shooting, led police to arrest Alexander, according to court records.
The shooting was reported shortly before 9:30 a.m. Monday. Responding Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers found Brown suffering gunshot wounds in the middle of the road. An Indianapolis Fire Department medic pronounced him dead at the scene.
Surveillance footage showed the suspect wearing a tan hoodie and carrying a gun from the area where Brown was found. The man is then seen getting into a Chrysler and leaving the area.
Several people told police that Alexander and Brown had been talking shortly before the shooting and the two “started to exchange words,” the affidavit states. A few people said they heard the man in the tan hoodie threaten to shoot Brown. The pair separated, witnesses reported, and minutes later, they heard gunfire.
Using the complex’s surveillance footage, police traced the Chrysler and discovered it was a financed vehicle installed with a GPS tracking device. The vehicle’s last known location was in Camby. Police headed to the area and found an abandoned silver Chrysler parked along a wooded tree line with Alexander’s wallet inside, the affidavit states.
Police said they learned Alexander was last seen in the area of East Washington Street and Hamilton Avenue. Detectives surveyed the area and found him in a restaurant. He was taken into custody.
When asked about the shooting, Alexander reported Brown “became very aggressive” to him and he tried to walk away. Police said they revealed they had surveillance footage of the shooting, to which Alexander revealed he shot Brown thinking he was going to be robbed.
Alexander is jailed on a preliminary murder charge. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will determine final charges.
Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 'Trivial' disagreement leads to deadly shooting in north Indianapolis
