Indianapolis man arrested in shooting that killed 1 Dutch soldier, injured 2 others
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Police say they have detained a person believed to be responsible for the shooting of three Dutch army soldiers on Saturday in downtown Indianapolis.
One of the soldiers, Simmie Poetsema, 26, died, according to the Netherlands Ministry of Defence.
Shamar Duncan, 22, of Indianapolis, was arrested on a preliminary charge of murder, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Tuesday night.
Duncan will not be eligible for release from jail as the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office reviews the case, IMPD says.
Witnesses of the shooting provided IMPD investigators with video. The police department on Tuesday night thanked people for their help and cooperation.
Duncan’s jail-booking photo was not immediately being released “due to investigative steps that need to occur prior to it being released,” IMPD said in an email.
IMPD has previously reported officer were called about 3:30 a.m. Saturday to the 100 block of South Meridian Street. The soldiers were found shot outside the Hampton Inn hotel on Maryland Street near Meridian Street.
IMPD detectives think the shooting was not a random act, and that the three soldiers were in a fight somewhere else before they were shot.
The Amsterdam-based NL Times news outlet says a group of soldiers from the Royal Netherlands Army’s Commando Corps were in Indianapolis for an urban combat training exercise. They were staying in the Hampton Inn, 105 S. Meridian St., which is two blocks south of Monument Circle.
The Indiana National Guard has said the soldiers were training at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, a 1,000-acre complex about 40 miles southeast of Indianapolis. The Guard said in a statement that the center is used for training by the U.S. Department of Defense “as well as other allies.”
The shooting happened while the commandos were on the military’s free time, the Netherlands Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
Anyone with information about this incident was asked to contact detective Michael Wright at the IMPD homicide office at 317-327-3475 or email him at michael@wrightindy.gov.
Statement
“Thank you to @IMPDnews for swift investigative work, as well as the residents, witnesses, and investments in technology that helped ensure detectives were well equipped to gain a full picture of the shooting.”
Tweet from Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, a Democrat, at 9 p.m. Aug. 30, 2022
