IMPD releases video of officer who fatally shot man outside northwest home

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department released edited body-worn camera footage Friday from an officer-involved shooting in late August in which an officer shot and killed a man outside a home on the city’s northwest side. 

The fatal shooting came after officers were called to the same address five times during the weekend of Aug. 25. Each visit was related to the mental health of 40-year-old Kendall Darnell Gilbert who was also making threats toward family members, according to IMPD. 

On Aug. 27 officers were dispatched to the house on the 4500 block of Woodland Drive at 5:20 p.m. for continued concerns for Gilbert. According to the IMPD narration in the video, officers advised people in the home to leave. Once Gilbert was alone in the house, officers chose to not enter the home to “avoid escalating the situation.” Narration in the video suggests IMPD’s  Mobile Crisis Assistance Team, or MCAT, would be told to visit Gilbert on Aug. 28 when they returned to duty. 

The MCAT program responds to some mental health calls. The team includes a clinician from Eskenazi Health, and an IMPD officer. MCAT operates from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Some have criticized the limited hours the team operates on.

Later that day, officers were again sent to the home at 6:45 p.m after a woman pushed her medical alert device stating someone was trying to kill her. 

The videos

IMPD typically releases edited versions of critical incidents like officer-involved shootings. The videos are narrated and shortened. The edited footage of this incident can be viewed here. Warning: The video contains images that some viewers may find disturbing.

Body-camera footage shows officers walking up to a house and a person standing near the front door.

"Hey, what's going on man," an officer says. "Take your hand off of the thing, dude."

The officer then says the man is holding a machete.

In video footage from a social media post, included as part of IMPD’s narrative release, Gilbert can be seen holding a machete in the front yard and interacting with police. 

In another snippet of body camera video a voice is heard yelling: “Whoever fires a shot at me, I am taking their head first.”

According to IMPD, officers tried to communicate with Gilbert for more than two hours. Multiple crisis negotiators spoke to Gilbert but were not able to have “any meaningful conversation.” IMPD reported a psychologist with the Crisis Negotiation Unit was on scene and assisting.

In video footage from SWAT member Lt. John Perkins at 9:09 p.m, the officer says: “Hey man, get down on the ground. You are under arrest.” 

Perkins then calls for light and sound devices to be set off to distract Gilbert after he crossed a location outside the home pre-determined by officers, according to Perkins’ body-worn camera and IMPD narration. In the video, there are bright flashes of light and loud bangs.

Graphics added by IMPD to the night time body-camera video say Gilbert “makes contact with an officer holding a ballistic shield.”. Then, a graphic added to the video shows the outline of what appears to be a large blade in Gilbert’s hand as he runs. 

Perkins and another voice are heard shouting, “Get on the ground.” Perkins fires his gun three times at Gilbert, who collapses on the ground. 

The IMPD narrative says Gilbert was running towards officers as he was shot. In the video from Perkins’ camera, officers swarm around Gilbert and one officer pulls Gilbert’s left arm behind his back as Perkins calls for a medic. Gilbert was taken to Eskenazi Hospital where he later died. 

Multiple separate investigations by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, IMPD Critical Incident Response Team, IMPD Internal Affairs and a civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board are underway. 

The investigation into the fatal shooting of Gilbert is in the early stages and may take up to a year or longer to be completed, according to IMPD.