Man killed, 2 injured in shootout

Police recover AR-15 semiautomatic rifle that they say was used in the gunbattle.


By Tom Spalding

January 01, 2003

A man wearing two gun holsters lay dead in the street and two others were in the hospital Tuesday after what police called a high-powered gunbattle on the Eastside.

The two injured men were taken to Methodist Hospital. One was listed in fair condition, the other in critical condition.
 
Police identified the dead man as Reginald Harden, 20, 4500 block of Calhoun Street. The names of the wounded men were not immediately available.

The shooting occurred about 3:50 p.m. at Madeira and Van Buren streets.

There, a forest-green sedan, its engine still running, had smashed a fire hydrant. Blood was visible inside the vehicle; the rear driver's-side wheel cover was streaked with blood.

Shell casings were sprinkled around the area.

Across the street from the sedan, an Indianapolis police officer stood guard over a weapon police said was used in the shootings, identified as an AR-15.

"We aren't sure what initiated the incident," said Indianapolis Police Department spokesman Sgt. Russell Burns. "This was very violent and very fast."

The gunfight took place between the car and the front lawn of one building of the Grandville Cooperative, a group of townhouses and apartments north of Raymond Street and west of Sherman Drive. Early Tuesday night, police were still trying to determine whether the wounded men lived in the complex or were visiting.

Two property managers said the shooting was highly unusual for the area. One woman did have concerns, however.

"It's been festering for a while. It's been festering," said K.A. Mitchell, 48, who has lived in the neighborhood for five years and has been vocal about trying to make the area safe. "It's guns. Guns that kids get a hold of. They got more firepower than the police."

It was the city's 82nd homicide of the year, still the lowest since 1993 in the Police Department's jurisdiction. For Marion County, it is the 118th killing this year, down from 119 deaths in 2001.

It is unclear whether the AR-15 found at the scene Tuesday was the murder weapon.

The AR-15 is a semiautomatic rifle that fires .223-caliber bullets.

It is popular in marksmanship competitions, but such rifles "are very rarely used" in the commission of crimes, said Walter J. Kuleck, author of "The AR-15 Complete Owner's Guide."

Call Tom Spalding at 1-317-327-7939.

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Just putting a NAME to the weapon is conviction of evil status. ...

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The AR-15 is a semiautomatic rifle that fires .223-caliber bullets.

Man killed, 2 injured in shootout

Police recover AR-15 semiautomatic rifle that they say was used in the gunbattle.

A man wearing two gun holsters lay dead in the street and two others were in the hospital Tuesday after what police called a [red]high-powered[/red] gunbattle on the Eastside.

Across the street from the sedan, an Indianapolis police officer stood guard over a [red]weapon police said was used in the shootings, identified as an AR-15.[/red]

"We aren't sure what initiated the incident," said Indianapolis Police Department spokesman Sgt. Russell Burns. "This was [red]very violent and very fast.[/red]"

"It's been festering for a while. It's been festering," said K.A. Mitchell, 48, who has lived in the neighborhood for five years and has been vocal about trying to make the area safe. [red]"It's guns. Guns that kids get a hold of. They got more firepower than the police."[/red]

It is unclear whether the AR-15 found at the scene Tuesday was the murder weapon.

Quoted:
i'm always skeptical when the indy star reports on firearms.  they have a history of being very anti-second amendment.