Slain UIndy football player’s family endures first Christmas without him, homicide remains unsolved
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indy’s homicide toll has reached 262 for 2021 — that’s an all-time record for the city. For many families, including Koebe Clopton’s, that means an empty seat at the table this holiday season.
Clopton was fatally shot on the city’s east side in September. He was a junior at the University of Indianapolis and was also on the football team. Clopton’s family said his death is still shocking and even harder to come to terms with now that it’s Christmas.
Clopton’s family said he was authentic, athletic and academic — all reasons his grandpa Larry Clopton said he wanted to get out of Hammond where he grew up and go to Indianapolis to learn and grow.
“He got a full ride scholarship to play football because he was an All-American wide receiver, but more importantly to further his education. He was about education,” said Larry Clopton.
Koebe Clopton’s time at UIndy was cut short when he was shot and killed. His mom, Nadia Clopton, said she still doesn’t know why.
“I just don’t feel like it’s going anywhere. My son was, like, number 209, and now they’re at (262) … vand I feel like it just keeps getting pushed back. It’s not just a number, and that’s all Indianapolis keeps saying — we have 250, we have 260 homicides,” said Nadia Clopton.
The family said instead of going into Christmas with some closure, they’re feeling defeated.
“This type of thing hurts — it hurts, man, and this time of year it hurts even more. So when people ask if you’re ok — it’s kind of hard to ask somebody if you’re ok because you just try to carry your face on like you are ok, but your heart is hurting,” said Larry Clopton.
But somehow, that hurt is giving them hope, and the Cloptons said they’ll do their best to keep fighting for every family.
“Of course we are speaking on his behalf, but any parent, anybody going through what we’re going through, you know, I feel for them — I speak for them, too. We need to just link together like a chain and try to get something done about this,” said Larry Clopton.
Nadia Clopton said her son sold shoes on the side to make extra money and she thinks that may have had something to do with his death. So far, police have not said if that’s the case.
No one has been arrested for his murder.