Anderson police investigate homicide

ANDERSON, Ind. (WISH) - Anderson Police are investigating the first homicide of the new year. Someone shot a man to death just before midnight in the 1100 block of Home Avenue, just off of State Road 32.

A detective working the case said they haven't arrested any suspects, but they have some pretty good leads.

"Oh gosh, it's too close to the neighborhood; scary," neighbor Sharon Brower said.

It was in the 2 story home that police officers found a 23-year old man dead on the floor, shot to death. A neighbor we spoke with said it sounded like fireworks, but when officers arrived, she realized it was much more.

Several neighbors heard the sirens but never imagined someone had been shot just a few doors down.

"I heard sirens last night about 11:30-12:00. I looked out the window right there and there was police sitting there, squad cars coming this way," neighbor Clarence Burton said.

"It's pretty scary, nothing's ever happened like this before. I saw all the lights last night, it woke me up, seen all the cops, I didn't know what was going on," Sharon said.

Neighbors said yes, this was a scary event but they still feel safe here and have no intentions of moving from their neighborhood.

It was a neighbor who called 911. Officers say the front door had been damaged, perhaps indicating forced entry. Now the door is sealed shut by police, and you can still see the fingerprinting dusting.

Police identified the victim as Rodney Clay.

"At this point the investigation continues, we've got a little bit of a who done it. We've got some leads and we've been doing some neighborhood canvassing and we've had a number of different interviews, but right now we're still looking for a viable suspect," Detective Mitch Carroll with the Anderson Police Department said.

There were toys on the front porch. It's believed a woman and child also live at the home, but weren't there at the time of the shooting.
Now police are hoping that if anyone heard or saw anything, they call police.

"We're going to throw everything at it, and we have, all of our resources, it's the pinnacle of crime, so what we're hoping for now is a little cooperation from the community," Det. Carroll said.

If you have any information, you're asked to call Anderson Police Department at (765) 648-6775.