Control, 1 in custody. Suspect forgot to resist
The Star has an
Update
Heavily armed police officers took a person of interest into custody today following shootings this morning that injured two photographers and narrowly missed a firefighter at the scene of a Near-Eastside blaze.
Video images from WTHR (Channel 13) showed a man backing out of house with his arms in the air at the urging of SWAT officers.
The man lived across the street from where vacant house burned. He had complained to the two photographers that they were not around when he was shot on July 1. WTHR said.
The man was taken into custody hours after the police chief called for officers to concentrate on finding the suspect.
"I cannot imagine what would motivate an individual or individuals to shoot at a firefighter performing his duty to help and protect others or a photographer working to produce images for the public," Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Michael Spears wrote in an e-mail to his staff. "The firefighters face enough hazards in their duties."
The e-mail called for officers to increase patrols and probation and parole sweeps in a roughly 10-block area around the site and to talk to residents in an effort to track down the shooter or shooters, said police spokesman Jeff Duhamell.
The fire was reported at 2 a.m. at a vacant house in the 800 block of North Tacoma Avenue.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were on the scene to block traffic when about 2:30 a.m., a photographer for WISH-TV was struck in the back and a freelance photographer was struck in the arm.
Both men were taken to Methodist Hospital in stable condition.
WISH reported that its photographer Kevin Hankins was released. Hankins said in a broadcast interview that he was shooting the fire when he heard a pop and felt something hit his back. A medic on the scene discovered the bullet wound.
The second victim has not been identified. He was doing work for a township fire department and not severely hurt, WISH reported.
IMPD believes that the shots were fired by someone using a .22 caliber weapon from an area to the west of the fire.
