Family: Man killed in Indianapolis police shooting was retired officer

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis homeowner shot and killed Monday morning by police was identified by authorities as Daniel Everett Cedars, 65.

He had served as a law enforcement officer for 18 years before retiring, his family said.

His wife, Gloria Cloud, returned Monday afternoon to the scene of the fatal shooting, distraught and seeking answers. She pointed out multiple bullet holes in the front door of their Monteo Drive home, as well as a broken side window. 

Officers were first sent to the house around 1:30 a.m. following an “incomplete 911 call,” according to authorities. 

Investigators could not determine who placed the call — or why — but said it originated from inside or “within several feet” of Cedars’ home in the 6200 block.

“As officers were approaching the home, they were shot at by the homeowner,” Indianapolis police said in a statement to News 8. “The two responding officers returned fire, striking the homeowner.” 

Police called for assistance from medics, who pronounced Cedars dead at the scene. Authorities did not immediately respond to questions about his injuries. 

Cedars’ wife said he had been struck in the back by at least three bullets. 

“He was inside [the house] when he was shot,” Cloud told News 8. “They shot him through the door.” 

The couple’s two grandchildren — ages 10 and 12 — were also home during the shooting, she said, and may have been responsible for the initial 911 call. 

The kids were “very traumatized” by the death of their grandfather, Cloud said, her eyes filling with tears. 

“They don’t even know what happened,” she said. “When I came to help my husband, [officers] were on a megaphone telling me to come out with my hands up.” 

Cloud was unable to confirm if she saw or heard Cedars firing a gun at the officers. 

A neighbor said crime was “rare” in the area but added it was plausible for someone unaware of the incomplete 911 call — and resulting response — to believe the officers were intruders. 

“Maybe he just thought it was somebody bad and he was trying to protect his family,” said Abby Heitzman, who lives on the same block of Monteo Drive. “You never know.”

She called the heavy police presence on their street “shocking.”

The two Indianapolis police officers involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, the department confirmed. 

“The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office is involved and will be consulted throughout the investigative process,” a police spokesperson told News 8. “This is a tragedy for everyone involved.”