A man died in a Sunday night shootout after an occasional game of basketball at Grassy Creek Park on East 30th Street.
The shooting, reported at around 6:40 p.m., came at the end of the game, said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Major Kerry Buckner. The victim was pronounced dead after being taken to Eskenazi hospital, Buckner said.
Investigators do not believe the shooting was directly related to the game. No one had argued or fought before the shooting, Buckner said.
“I guess the game was over, they were shaking hands, and someone came up with a gun and shot the individual,” Buckner told media gathered in the park. “We don’t really know what the motive is. It doesn’t appear to be related to the game.”
Buckner did not say how many shots were fired or where the victim was hit.
After:Man killed in east side shooting
The Marion County coroner’s office has not publicly identified the man. An IMPD spokesperson said the man was around 20 years old.
No one was arrested. The IMPD had no suspect at 8 p.m. Sunday.
The IMPD asks all witnesses to report what they saw. Homicide detectives can be reached at 317-327-3475. Tips can also be submitted to Central Indiana Crime Stoppers at 317-262-8477.
A man standing in front of his car inside the park after the shooting, who refused to give his name to IndyStar, said the victim was well known at the park because he played regularly. The man said he did not see the gunman because, like everyone else in the field, he started running as soon as he heard gunshots.
About 150 people were in the park at the time of the shooting, Buckner said. It was not clear how many of them were near the basketball courts when the shooting took place.
The park does not have cameras, Buckner said.
Most people were evacuated from the park as investigators hung yellow tape along the basketball courts and began to search for evidence, such as shell casings.
At 8 p.m., as Easter Sunday caught on in its last light of day, a few people started returning to the playing field next to the basketball courts.
Among them were two toddlers.
Contact IndyStar investigative reporter Ryan Martin at [email protected] or by phone, Signal or WhatsApp at 317-500-4897. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter: @ryanmartin.