UPDATE: June 24, 2015 @ 9:15 AM
The passenger has been identified as 34-year old Joshua Dyer of Huntington Indiana. The Marion County Coroner will determine a cause and manner of death after an autopsy has been performed later today. The driver has been identified as 41-year old Mathew Cole of Indianapolis. Mr. Cole was arrested for resisting law enforcement and transported to the APC. The investigation is on-going.
ORIGINAL: June 23, 2015 @ 10:56 PM
At approximately 6:38 p.m., an officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department observed a vehicle parked in an unauthorized section of Washington Park. The officer approached the vehicle to conduct an investigation. The occupants of the vehicle were uncooperative, not providing truthful information, to the officer.
The vehicle suddenly and without warning sped off from the officer; the officer immediately initiated a vehicle pursuit. The vehicle, a 2007 white Nissan Altima, disregarded several stop signs as it was fleeing officers. The vehicle fled to North Keystone Avenue just north of 38th Street and turned east down an alley into the back yard of a residence crashing into a fence. Officers exited their vehicles and ordered the driver and the passenger out of the vehicle at gun point. The driver exited his vehicle and suddenly returned to the drivers side and put the car in reverse. Officers fearing for their own safety, an officer discharged his service weapon striking the passenger. The vehicle continued in reverse into the side yard of another residence where it became disabled. The driver was immediately taken into custody without further incident. The male passenger was pronounced deceased at the scene. No officers were injured as a result of this incident.
Neither the driver or the passenger have been positively identified as of this release. As is standard for an officer-involved shooting, the involved officer will be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the department’s Critical Incident Response Team. A separate internal investigation will be conducted by the department’s Internal Affairs Unit. This investigation is on-going and active at this time.