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Survivors Share Stories of Weekend Violence
It was a violent couple of days in Indianapolis. One incident involved an off-duty Anderson police officer Monday morning on the near east side. The officer and a suspect fired shots at each other when the Anderson officer tried to recover his stolen personal car. The officer believed he was shot, but a notice has since gone out that his injuries were not related to a gunshot.
Two suspects fled after crashing the car. IMPD is still searching for them.
Metro police said 16 people were shot over the weekend, including one self-inflicted.
The department is frustrated with the lack of conflict resolution.
"Not resulting to gun violence and using firearms," said Ofc. Tommy Thompson.
Police investigated 12 different shooting incidents across Indianapolis.
A block party on Indy's north side resulted in the death of a 17-year-old boy.
Stephanie Malone is recovering after being shot in the leg on Saturday at her east side apartment.
"I'm not doing so good and in a lot of pain," said Malone. "I want to tell women to be aware of men that's abusive. Anything could happen, can't put anything past anyone."
Raven Ridgell is also struggling with her brush with the violence over the weekend.
"I'm a whirlwind. It's a tornado inside of me," she said. "I had to calm down. I was like, 'Oh my God, the bullet went through and it went in my backseat.' And we realized that if we had come out just a few minutes earlier and had we been in the car, it would have hit me based on its trajectory."
"I'm grateful to God that I'm ok. However, I now have to cover insurance. I now have to do all of those things, and so I also want us to be mindful of the impact of our actions have on individuals like me," said Ridgell.
Doug Stephenson co-owns Downtown Comics. He said the shootings are a bad look, but he doesn't want to scare people away.
"Yes, we're going to have incidents once in a while. I mean, it just happens. We're a city. We're not a small town, so you're gonna have city problems once in a while, it's just a matter of how they're addressed," said Stephenson.
IMPD Chief Chris Bailey provided this statement on this weekend's violence:
"My heart is with every victim, every grieving family, and every neighborhood shaken by this weekend’s violence. What we saw unfold across our city was unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” said Chief Chris Bailey.“Our officers and detectives have been working around the clock to investigate each of these incidents. We are committed to bringing those responsible to justice and will continue doing everything in our power to hold them accountable. While this weekend was difficult, it’s important to note that violent crime overall is down nearly 30% compared to this time last year. Criminal homicides have decreased by nearly 29%, and non-fatal shooting incidents are down nearly 21%. These efforts mark real progress, but one incident of violence is still one too many, and our work is not done,” he added.“IMPD alone cannot solve violence alone. It takes all of us: law enforcement, community leaders, neighbors, and families to confront these challenges and build a safer, stronger city together.”Survivors of weekend violence in the community have shared their stories, describing scenes of chaos and fear. "I was just walking down the street when I heard the shots," said one survivor. "I hit the ground and didn't get up until it was all over." Another survivor recounted a harrowing experience: "I saw people running from the scene, screaming and crying. It was like nothing I've ever seen before."
Witnesses described seeing multiple individuals injured and taken away in ambulances. "It was a nightmare," said one eyewitness. "People were trying to get out of the way, but it seemed like no matter where you went, there was danger."
A local official spoke about the incident: "We're deeply disturbed by the violence that occurred over the weekend and are working tirelessly to ensure the safety of our community." The official did not provide further details about the incident.