Man dies after house fire on city’s east side
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — One man is dead following an early morning house fire on the city’s east side, and now IMPD is investigating it as a possible homicide.
Fire officials were called out to the residence just before 1 a.m. Saturday morning in the 9400 block of Barr Drive — that’s near 30th Street and Post Road.
A 73-year-old man, Stephen Brockman, was pulled from the fire and initially said to be in critical condition but later died from his injuries. The coroner’s office said the death was a probable homicide.
Damages to the home were estimated around $50,000.
Martha Settles lives directly across the street and said she was good friends with the man she called Mr. Steve. She said he had problems with people trying to break into his home as recently as a couple months ago. Settles says he was too nice to strangers who would often ask him for money.
Settles said the last thing her neighbor said to her was to watch his house because people were trying to break in again. That was just two days ago.
However, IMPD told 24-Hour News 8 it has no calls about break-ins at the victim’s address.
Now only memories remain for Settles about her Mr. Steve, an Air Force veteran she called a great man, one of her best friends and a good influence on her grandchildren.
“He will always be my friend. Always. Because he treated me with a lot of respect, and I treated him with respect. Because I loved him,” she said.
If you have any information on the fire, you are urged to call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.