A Sunday night dinner at a LongHorn Steakhouse on Indianapolis’ northeast side turned into chaos when shots rang out in the lobby, leaving one man dead and diners scrambling for cover. The killing of 24-year-old Justin Hignite inside the Castleton restaurant has shaken a community that knows this part of town more for shopping trips and family meals than gunfire. As investigators search for answers, regulars and workers are left to process how a routine night out became a fatal encounter.
Police say the shooting unfolded in seconds, yet its impact will linger far longer for those who watched the lobby transform from a waiting area into a crime scene. The case has also renewed questions about safety in crowded commercial corridors and how quickly investigators can piece together what happened when violence erupts in public spaces.
What investigators say happened inside the lobby
According to IMPD detectives, officers were called to the 5900 block of East 82nd Street after reports of a person shot inside the restaurant. The location sits in a busy commercial stretch near Castleton, where big-box stores and chain eateries draw steady weekend crowds. Witnesses described a packed lobby, with people waiting for tables, when a disturbance escalated into gunfire.
Police said the victim was shot in the lobby area, then rushed from the scene in critical condition. Early reports described the incident as a shooting during a disturbance, language that suggests some kind of confrontation rather than a random shot from afar. A crew that arrived shortly afterward described a heavy police presence as officers taped off the entrance and moved diners away from the doors, underscoring how quickly the restaurant shifted from normal operations to an active crime scene…