What is the community doing to reform itself? IMPD Chief says of weekend… | Latest Lifestyle News
Although homicide numbers are down for 2025, the string of shootings this past weekend, has public safety officials wanting people to know that “guns are not the solution to anything.”
In a news conference on Sept. 22, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Chris Bailey said his department has been working around the clock to identify the people responsible for the weekend’s violence, which included a mass shooting.
“Seven people were shot for reasons we still aren’t clear on yet,” Bailey said of the early morning Sept. 21 mass shooting. “But according to witnesses, one man grabbed a handgun from the waist of another man and began shooting. The man whose gun was taken pulled a second weapon and shot that person, and a third, yet unidentified person may have shot him.”
Bailey said five “innocent” bystanders were caught in the crossfire, and two of the shooters are now dead, which the Marion County Coroner’s Office identified as Rodney Allen Taylor, 38, and Dante Lynn Hogans, 29. Detectives are still working to get video footage captured at the scene and take statements from the people who were shot.
Still, he cites a community-wide problem with gun violence and lack of emotional control.
IMPD Chief says community members have to make better decisions
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey speaks with media Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, during a press conference addressing the weekend’s violence. “It was a difficult and violent weekend in our city,” he said. “It is unacceptable, period. No community should have to endure the level of gun violence we’ve witnessed over the past 48 hours. We’ve made five arrests in four incidents, including the officer-Involved shooting.”
The chief said enforcement is not enough. The department continues to invest in community-based prevention programs, youth outreach, and partnerships aimed at breaking the cycle of violence, but when someone chooses to bring a firearm into a conflict, that decision carries consequences, and often tragic ones.
“Each one of us must take responsibility for the choices we make because those choices can cost lives, including your own,” he said.
He wants people to walk away from arguments. Tony Lopez with the Office of Public Health & Safety said they, along with the partners they work with, are still dedicated to helping people mediate conflicts through their Conflict Resolution Center.
The Indy Center for Conflict Resolution is led by the Indy Public Safety Foundation to reduce violence in Marion County. It’s a free and neutral mediation service, addressing various types of conflicts, including police and the community, and conflicts between families, neighbors, and individuals, according to their website.
“It hurts. We’re losing individuals in our city, young and old,” Lopez said. “We’re going to keep our hope alive to keep pushing through and to keep trying to make a difference in our city.”
Bailey said while people often talk about police reform, law enforcement interactions, and what the government is doing to address violence, community members must make better decisions.
“What is the community doing to reform itself?” Bailey said.
Both Bailey and Lopez spoke about what they’re agency and department have been focused on in the news conference, and Bailey shared updates on individual weekend shooting cases.
Update: Two 14-year-olds walked into hospital shot
Mass shooting, triple shooting and more: 15 shot over course of violent weekend in Indy
At 7:02 p.m., Sept. 20, police were called to Community East Hospital about two juveniles who had been shot. They were both awake and breathing. Two other 16-year-old boys were arrested for dangerous possession of a firearm and possession of a machine gun related to the shooting.
Bailey said the two juveniles were 14-year-olds and were accompanied by the 16-year-olds, who fled from hospital police. After a short chase, they were arrested.
It’s still unknown where the shooting took place or what happened.
Update: Man arrested in self-defense shooting on Ruckle Street
Deputy Director of Public Safety Tony Lopez, of the Office of Public Health and Safety, speaks with media Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, during a press conference addressing the weekend’s violence. “Continue to have hope,” he said. “Our community is better than this. Our community is stronger than this.”
At 7:05 p.m., on Sept. 20, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called to East 33rd Street and Central Avenue on the city’s northside. A person was taken to a hospital in critical but stable condition, and a man was detained at the scene before IMPD Aggravated physical attack detectives arrested him for his alleged involvement in the shooting.
Bailey said the shooting’s location was initially at home in the 3300 block of Ruckle Street. It’s being investigated as a self-defense shooting. The chief said the 33-year-old man who was shot was threatening someone and trying to break into a house.
“He was shot by a person claiming self-defense. (The suspect) was arrested for intimidation and attempted residential entry,” Bailey said.
Update: Arrest made in triple shooting on Georgetown Road
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At 11:30 p.m., on Sept. 20, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called about a person shot in the 5600 block of Georgetown Road at Cross Creek Center, about 4.5 miles away from where the mass shooting happened a few hours later. Officers found three people shot, and they were taken to a hospital. Their conditions still aren’t known.
There was “some sort of disturbance” at a gathering near Georgetown Road and 56th Street before the shooting happened, and the suspect fled the scene in a vehicle while officers chased him.
“(The suspect) crashed his vehicle a short distance from the shooting,” Bailey said. “A search warrant on his vehicle was served, and a handgun, clipped with another machine gun conversion device, was seized from that vehicle.”
The 21-year-old was booked on charges including resisting law enforcement, criminal recklessness, and possession of a machine gun. Bailey said detectives are working to get additional video and filed additional charges over the next couple weeks.
“This weekend was a setback, and it does not define our city,” Bailey said. “Public safety is a shared responsibility, and we need your help.”
Anybody with information related to any of these shootings are encouraged to call Crimes Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477, and you can leave an anonymous tip.
Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘What is the community doing to reform itself?’ IMPD Chief says
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