What we know about the 14th shooting involving Indianapolis police this year

A man family members said suffers from mental health issues is dead and an officer was wounded after a trespassing investigation turned into gunfire.

The shooting happened shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday at a Burger King near the intersection of East 21st Street and North Shadeland Avenue.

Family members of the man who died said he suffers from mental health issues and panhandles in the area. They didn't know why police were investigating him.

IMPD East District officers were conducting an investigation in the 6900 block of East 21^st Street, a news release stated, when an officer recognized an individual who had been trespassed from The Rodeway Inn.

"During that encounter, they asked the individual to put his hands on the car," said Assistant Chief Chris Bailey. "He did not comply and fled from the officers on foot."

Bailey said officers were familiar with the man and did not chase him. The man ran into a nearby Burger King restaurant.

Ashley Lawrence, a Burger King employee, said the man has been to the fast food chain location before, but this time he seemed different, describing him as appearing more "rushed." She said when he came into the restaurant Thursday, he tried entering the bathrooms, which were closed.

Lawrence said when she told him he couldn't enter the restrooms, he moved closer to the building's office doors and tried taking off his clothes for an unknown reason.

Officers arrived minutes later and found the man near the restrooms. The officers grabbed the man by the hands to get him to leave and he began to resist, Bailey said.

At that point, Lawrence said when he resisted, the officers and the man began "tussling."

"Y'all are going to have to kill me in this (expletive)," she recalled the man saying.

More: Every time Indianapolis police have shot a person so far in 2023

The officer and man began fighting and the man was able to get the officer's gun and a shot was fired, striking the officer in the leg, Bailey said. The officer is in good condition having suffered a 'graze' wound.

Lawrence next remembers hearing four "pops."

The officer used his secondary weapon to shoot the man, Bailey said. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition but died after arriving.

What is going on?: Indianapolis police shootings highest in years.

Jeffrey Hartley, a relative, said he was there shortly after the shooting and witnessed his cousin bleeding in the parking lot as medics began lifesaving measures.“I cried earlier. I broke down,” he said. “You never think it’s going to happen to you until it does. My cousin had mental health issues. Indianapolis needs to invest more in mental health" services.

Thursday's shooting is the latest in a string involving Indianapolis police officers in the last few months. The city has seen 14 shootings involving officers this year and 10 since Aug. 1.

"It's not lost on us that having so many in a short period of time people are asking, 'Why?' We don't have those answers. Each shooting has their own sets of facts and circumstances," Bailey said, promising the department would conduct a review of its police shootings.

"We're going to look for some consultants to look at every one of these incidents, take a look at training, take a look at suspect behavior and all those indicators to see if there's any commonality that exists," Bailey said.

The officer who fired his gun has been placed on administrative leave, a news release stated, as is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting investigation.

Along with a separate administrative investigation, the civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board will conduct a mandatory hearing for any attempted use of deadly force against a person, a news release stated.

Sharron Cannon, 68, of Indianapolis stood outside a Shell gas station across the block and stared over the sea of flashing police lights. She was there, she said, because the man police shot is her nephew.“This is ridiculous,” Cannon said, talking about the recent number of police shootings. “I ain’t seen anything like this since the 70s. It's just unreal.”

On Tuesday, one man was shot by an officer and in critical condition after he fled a traffic stop then crashed on the north side of the city.

John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis police shooting: Person critical, officer has 'graze' wound