Indianapolis sued in 2 separate police shootings
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis city government is facing lawsuits from two families over separate incidents that left two men dead during traffic stops.
On Oct. 23, 2023, Darcel Edwards was shot after climbing into a tree. Edwards had run from police after being pulled over near 25th Street and Columbia Avenue.
His mother, Roselyn Edwards Rogers, said Thursday she misses her son every day. “He had a beautiful smile. He was a lovely father and a son.”
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says Edwards put his hand in his pocket as officers asked him to come down from the tree.
Attorney Nathaniel Lee said Thursday that Edwards mental health issues when he encountered the police in 2023. “One of telltale sign was he said, ‘Call my mama!’ You’re not going to shoot someone who wants their mom to come to the scene.”
IMPD says Officer Gunnar Gossett fired because Edwards put his hands where the policeman couldn’t see them.
Lee is frustrated with how investigators handled the case. “Shortly after they killed the gentleman, they came out, cut the tree down and shredded the tree.”