IMPD shoots 2nd women in past 6 days: unusual but ‘a coincidence’
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — In a span of less than a week, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers have shot two women who had guns and were ready to use them.
During the police shooting on Wednesday night near 80th Street and Harcourt Road on the north side, Jasmine Brame, 31, had a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine and, according to IMPD, she is comfortable pulling the trigger. She was identified as a suspect in an alleged shots fired incident into a vehicle and a residence earlier this month, said a news release IMPD issued Thursday night.
Lt. Shane Foley of IMPD’s public affairs unit said Thursday, “First of all, she was a suspect in a ‘shot fired’ incident into a residence and a home from earlier this month. Our warrant was for robbery. Second warrant had multiple offenses, which included domestic battery and carrying a handgun without a license with a prior conviction.”
The release issued Thursday night said, “Officers located Brame in the area of 8000 Silverleaf Drive. Brame walked westbound across Harcourt Road where a uniformed officer with the North District violence reduction team attempted to arrest her. The officer gave Brame commands to stop and show her hands. During the encounter, the same officer who attempted to arrest her fired his service weapon at Brame, striking her. Brame was armed with a handgun.”
The officer was not identified in the release.
Brame was last listed Wednesday night as stable at a northside hospital, police said. The officer that fired his weapon was wearing a body camera.
The officer who fired his weapon was placed on administrative leave as is standard practice in an officer-involved shooting investigation. The civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board will conduct a mandatory review of the police shooting as it does for any use of deadly force against a person. The board’s review will happen after the criminal process concludes.
During the police shooting on Friday afternoon, four IMPD officers shot and killed Jessie Leonard, 36, on the city’s near-northwest side. Leonard had run from police earlier in the day and when she was approached, police say, she reached for a gun.
Officer Genae Cook of IMPD’s public affairs unit said Friday, “All of the officers that fired their weapons were equipped with body-worn cameras, and these cameras will be reviewed.”
Leonard had been on the radar of IMPD’s violent crime unit. She was part of a growing number of people who, according to IMPD, are willing to pull a gun on police, which is driving up the number of police shootings in Marion County.
Yes, authorities say, it is unusual to have two women involved in violent interactions with the police in such a short period of time.
Foley said Thursday, “The community expects us to take action in terms of identifying people that are involved in violent crime in particular, and when you are involved tracking people that are involved in violent crime the potential for these types can increase. The fact that it is two women is a coincidence. Our officers don’t choose who these encounters are involved with and, quite frankly, if we could choose not to have them at all, that would be our choice.”
IMPD has released video from past police shootings and is expected to do the same with these recent incidents.