IMPD identifies Indy SWAT officers who shot two people downtown, killing one

This story has been updated.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department identified the three officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man who died last weekend after Indianapolis SWAT officers shot him and a woman downtown.

Sgt. Jeremy Steward is a 21-year veteran of the force, and Officer Kenneth Kunz is a 27-year veteran. Officer Dalton Hair is a five-year veteran of IMPD. All three have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure. 

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers responded shortly after 9 p.m. to the 2200 block of South Shelby Street on a report of an armed robbery at a business. Officers arrived at the scene and confirmed a robbery took place. Police received a description of the suspects and their vehicle.

Officer William Young said SWAT team members later spotted the suspects and the vehicle on the 600 block of South Missouri Street, which is near Lucas Oil Stadium. He said they attempted a maneuver to prevent the vehicle from possibly fleeing, called a “pursuit prevention technique” in an IMPD press release. 

A man who was a front seat passenger in the vehicle began firing at officers, police said. Several officers returned fire, striking the passenger and a woman who was driving the car. Both people were taken in critical condition to a hospital, where the man died Saturday.

Police said the suspect's gun was recovered from the scene. Multiple officers’ body-worn cameras and a police dash camera were activated during the incident, police said.

No officers or other people were injured in the shooting, which left broken glass littered on the pavement near the suspect’s vehicle, the rear window of which appeared to have been shot out.

The IMPD Critical Incident Response Team and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office responded to the scene to conduct a criminal investigation.

A separate administrative investigation is being conducted by IMPD Internal Affairs. 

The civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board will hold a hearing after the criminal process is complete.

There have been ten shootings this year involving IMPD officers. More than half of those shootings have occurred since Aug. 1.

On Aug. 3, an IMPD officer shot and killed a man following a traffic stop.

On Aug. 27, an IMPD SWAT officer shot and killed a man reportedly experiencing a hallucinatory episode and wielding a machete.

On Sept. 1, officers shot a man during an alleged break-in.

On Sept. 19, an IMPD officer shot and killed a man following a domestic violence call.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said ten people have been shot since Aug. 1. There have been ten shootings this year involving IMPD officers. More than half of those shootings have occurred since Aug. 1.

This story includes information from the Associates Press. WFYI criminal justice reporter Katrina Pross is a Corps Member of Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Contact Pross at kpross@wfyi.org.