IMPD releases video of officer-involved shooting; woman killed after pointing gun at officers
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis police have released video from body-worn cameras that shows officers shooting a woman who pointed a gun at them in September.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department posted the video to YouTube.
According to IMPD, on Sept. 24 around 1:30 p.m., officers attempted to pull over a red Honda Pilot near the intersection of West 38th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street.
The driver failed to pull over and fled from police. Officers did not pursue the vehicle.
At 2:30 p.m., an IMPD officer located a red Honda Pilot in front of a residence in the 500 block of Eugene Street that matched the description of the suspect’s vehicle.
The body-worn camera footage shows the officer speaking with Jessie Leonard, 36, who was standing on the porch of the residence. She claimed she didn’t know who owned the vehicle.
The officer returned to his car, recorded the information and returned to the residence to ask Leonard more questions.
According to IMPD, the officer witnessed Leonard remove a handgun from her purse and put it on her waistband.
A tow truck was called to remove the vehicle, and three officers remained on scene standing across the street from the house.
The officer who originally attempted the traffic stopped arrived at the address to determine if Leonard was the driver of the vehicle.
As IMPD officers approached Leonard, she told them to not get any closer. The footage shows that she then reached for her handgun.
Despite warnings from police to stop, she proceeded to point the gun at the officers.
Four officers fired their weapons at Leonard. It is difficult to determine how many rounds were fired.
Leonard was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident is being investigated by IMPD’s Critical Response Team, and a separate investigation will be completed by IMPD’s Internal Affairs Unit.
