Sheriff’s deputies arrest 36-year-old in 2017 downtown murder case

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 36-year-old Indianapolis man wanted in connection with a 2017 murder was caught during a traffic stop during Tuesday’s subzero temperatures, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. 

Richard Lee Williams had been sought after being charged with the murder of 34-year-old Johnny Woods in September 2017. 

Woods was found in the early morning of Sept. 21, 2017, near a parking lot on West Louisiana Street and South Meridian Street in the downtown Wholesale District. That’s just blocks northeast of Lucas Oil Stadium. Police in 2017 said officers in the area heard gunshots, ran to check and saw the victim on the sidewalk. The shooting happened shortly after nearby downtown bars had closed at 3 a.m. and their customers were leaving and heading home.

Katie Carlson, the public information officer for the sheriff’s office, said Tuesday that Williams was caught during at traffic stop Tuesday at East 12th Street and North Chester Avenue on the city’s near-east side. 

Police in 2017 said they believed the 34-year-old victim got into an argument with Williams in the nearby parking lot. Police said Williams shot Woods multiple times before driving off. 

Williams was being held without bond, according to online court records. No further hearing was set for him, but courts were closed Tuesday due to the severe cold. 

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