Fatal Pursuit: Indianapolis Man Dies in Carmel Police Chase, Raising Questions about High-Speed Chases
47-year-old Kevin McKelvey was a professor, poet, writer, activist, and farmer who loved giving back to his community. He was the kind of person "who wanted to give you his tomato plants," said friend and colleague Barney Haney. But on June 14, 2025, McKelvey's life took a tragic turn when he was hit head-on by a speeding driver trying to elude Carmel police in a high-speed chase.
McKelvey was driving his 12-year-old son home from martial arts practice north along Meridian Street near 64th Street. The suspect, Alexander Mitchell, had stolen a Kia Sportage SUV and was weaving in and out of traffic trying to evade the pursuing officers. He crossed the centerline in front of McKelvey's Honda Fit, causing the car to spin out on the rain-slick road and hit another southbound vehicle.
Initially, it seemed like all four victims survived with non-fatal injuries, but McKelvey had suffered a severe head injury that left him unable to recall where he was or what had happened. In the days following the crash, McKelvey told friends he was grateful to be alive, writing in a June 26 text: "I was just thinking a couple of days ago that I'm lucky I didn't break a femur. Onward!" However, three days later on June 29, he complained to his wife of severe headaches.
By the time emergency crews responded, McKelvey had already passed away due to clots in his veins that traveled to the pulmonary arteries of both lungs and blocked blood flow. The Marion County Coroner's office ruled the car accident as the cause of death.
The Carmel Police Department has not released information on the accident or the identity of the officer(s) involved, citing an ongoing investigation. However, the high-speed pursuit may have violated various statewide and Carmel police guidelines. According to Carmel's 18-page pursuit policy: "A pursuit should not begin, nor should it be continued, when the need for immediate apprehension is very low and the totality of risk (from the chase) to public safety is very high."
Court records show that Mitchell had a history of drug possession, drug dealing, and traffic violations but no arrests for violent crimes. He was facing charges of narcotics dealing stemming from a November 2023 arrest and had failed to show up for a March 2025 court hearing.
After the crash, he was charged with resisting law enforcement, criminal recklessness, reckless driving, unlawful carrying of a gun, and driving with a suspended license. The case is pending in Marion Superior Court.
Alarming Hoosier statistics
Indiana has a long history of police chases ending in deaths, despite stricter guidelines on when the risk of a pursuit is justified. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, at least 86 people — bystanders, suspects and law enforcement officers — died as a result of high-speed police chases in Indiana from 1993 through 2003.Starting in 2023, Indiana legislators set a statewide minimum safety standard for high-speed police chases. However, the most recent data available from the NHTSA shows that, in 2023 alone, Indiana recorded 18 fatalities caused by police chases, ranking 10th nationwide and tying with Ohio."That's about the sanctity of life and balancing the risk to everyone," Chuck Wexler, executive director of PERF, said. "Police officers die in pursuits. Suspects die in pursuits and even citizens can be injured or die."Efforts to restrict police pursuits were part of the reforms many police departments introduced following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. However, some jurisdictions are now loosening their pursuit policies again as police complain that the laws handcuff them in apprehending criminals and protecting communities."Smart" police departments limit chases to violent criminal suspects or those who present an imminent danger to the public, said Geoffrey Alpert, a University of South Carolina criminology professor. "What do we know about this (suspect)? Did he rape a woman? Did he kill someone? Did he shoot someone at Walmart?"But even the strictest pursuit guidelines are meaningless without adequate training, supervision and accountability for police officers, Alpert said. "We see from time to time officers just either not making good decisions, or getting carried away, or both. That's why you have training. That's why you have policies and supervision."
A July 11 memorial tribute to McKelvey drew a standing-room-only crowd of about 500 family, friends, and students that overflowed The Tube Factory art gallery and spilled outside onto the patio. McKelvey was a professor of English at the University of Indianapolis, founder of the student-run Etchings Press, a board member of the Central Indiana Land Trust, and co-founder of the University of Indianapolis' Master of Arts in Social Practice program, a graduate degree focused on using artistic practices to address social issues and engage with communities.McKelvey was beloved among his students, said Molly Martin, chair of UIndy's English department. "He was an excellent individual mentor. He knew when to push. He knew how to guide. He knew how to get the best out of students. And because he was so good at that, a lot of students really built relationships with him."At the end of her tribute, McKelvey's wife, Lakshmi Hasanadka, told the memorial gathering: "Call your representatives; use Kevin's name. Tell them to make sure that no one else's father will end up the same way."Jim Walker, executive director of Big Car, remembered McKelvey as someone who was always busy and full of energy. "I don't think he spent a lot of time sleeping or resting," Walker said. "Kevin loved life and was just full of energy. He was doing a million things, but he was wanting to do a million more things."State Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, is considering the introduction of new legislative restrictions on police pursuits, including pre-approval from a district supervisor in the case of non-violent suspects or those not posing an immediate public threat, as well as continual evaluation of all guidelines throughout the chase. "I will be working with state and local law enforcement agencies to ensure these reforms are practical and effective," Qaddoura said.
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