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Photos show road rage suspect altered vehicle after deadly shooting, police say

Fatal road rage shooting suspects altered vehicle

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The two suspects charged in last week’s deadly road rage shooting were formally charged Thursday by the Marion County Prosecutor’s office.

Andre Briski of Indianapolis is charged with murder in the alleged shooting of 35-year-old Ryan Hawkins on May 1.

Shawna Rowland is charged with assisting a criminal and obstruction of justice, both felonies. Rowland is charged for hiding the murder weapon, altering the vehicle or both. An SUV was driven during the commission of the crime by Briski, investigators say.

Court documents included photos of the vehicle Briski was alleged to be driving when the shooting occurred. Photos taken by a traffic camera immediately after the shooting show stickers on the back of the 2009 Ford Explorer. Photos taken after the SUV was seized by police show the stickers were removed.

Photos provided by court documents also show Briski on a surveillance camera inside a gas station in Franklin before the shooting. That surveillance camera also shows Briski and Rowland getting in and out of the Ford Explorer.

After leaving the gas station in Franklin, Briski was involved in the road rage incident on I-65, just south of Southport Road. Police say he fired a handgun into a car driven by Hawkins. Hawkins slumped over the wheel and his vehicle left the roadway and landed in a pond. The Marion County coroner ruled Hawkins died from a gunshot wound to his neck.

After the shooting, police say Briski took the Southport Road exit, left the vehicle, and began to flee by walking west on Southport Road.

Police say Briski was captured on business surveillance cameras on Southport Road and walked out of camera view after walking north on Deerkill Road.

Cameras also captured the Ford Explorer continuing west on Southport Road.

Police say Rowland took the SUV to Briski’s mother’s house where she attempted to alter the look of the vehicle by removing window stickers and hiding the firearm used in the crime.

Rowland turned herself in to police and the Ford Explorer was searched. Photos show the interior of the SUV after the shooting, showing the sticker that appeared to have been removed from the window and an empty .40 caliber Smith & Wesson magazine. The magazine matches the description of the gun used in the shooting, according to police.

Rowland is charged with assisting a criminal who committed murder and obstruction of justice. She posted a $2,000 cash bond and is out of jail.

Briski was arrested at a medical facility and told police that Hawkins “brake-checked” and made “hand gestures” at him. Ryan Hawkins was a deaf man.

In an interview with police Briski said, “I don’t give a **** about that attorney. I’ll tell you right here. I did it. I didn’t mean to. I was afraid that we were going to crash and die.”

When police told him his version of events didn’t line up with eyewitness accounts from people in the car and asked him about text messages between himself and Rowland talking about changing the look of the SUV, he told police he wanted a lawyer.

Briski and Rowland were due back in court July 11 for a pretrial conference. A jury trial was scheduled to begin July 15.