Death – Obituary – Accident and Crime News : Indianapolis Metro Police Department has released an edited video of an incident that occurred on October 19th, where an officer shot at a man on the near south side of Indianapolis. The video was initially withheld due to a court order, but has now been made public. The incident took place at the Speedway gas station on Shelby Street, near East Raymond Street.
According to police, officers were at the gas station conducting an unrelated investigation into a strong-armed robbery. As the officers concluded their investigation, they were informed that a man sitting in a white Chevrolet sedan in the parking lot had an active warrant for his arrest. The man was later identified as Antoine Beech, 38 years old.
When officers approached Beech, who was in the passenger seat of the car, they claim to have seen a gun within his reach and warned him not to reach for it. Bodycam footage shows officers shouting, “Don’t do it” and asking him to show his hands. However, neither the bodycam nor the surveillance video clearly shows the gun or Beech reaching for it, contradicting the officers’ claims.
The video released by the police also reveals that the officer who fired the shot did not have his body-worn camera activated at the time of the incident. Another officer, positioned near the front of the car, activated his body-worn camera after the shooting. The video does not show officers providing aid to Beech, as they claim to have done. Beech was later taken to Eskenazi Hospital, where he was described as “stable” with injuries to his right hand and a laceration to his chest.
Beech’s attorney expressed disappointment that Officer Thomas’ body-worn camera was not operational during the encounter, stating that this lack of evidence denies them the ability to determine the justification of the shooting. The attorney also questioned the reasonableness of Officer Thomas’ actions, as Beech was allegedly shot in his raised right hand.
On November 7th, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office charged Beech with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. It was discovered that Beech had two active warrants for his arrest, one for a probation violation and the other for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
The IMPD Critical Incident Response Team is currently investigating the incident, and an administrative investigation is being conducted by IMPD Internal Affairs. Officer Ryan Thomas, who fired the shot, has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Detective Sergeant Prater at the IMPD Homicide Office or submit tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana.