IMPD sets up 48-hour tip line for info on Subway shooting, quadruple homicide

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Amidst calls from city and community leaders to reduce violence in Indianapolis, police have announced a temporary, staffed tip-line to collect information on two recent unsolved shootings on the northeast side that left five people dead.

Jan 27: Subway shooting, Shadeland Avenue

Ashok Kumar, 35, was killed while he was working at a Subway sandwich shop at 7401 N. Shadeland Ave.

Kumar was involved in a fight with three suspects during a possible robbery while the restaurant was open, police said.

Two days after his death, friends held a vigil at the Shadeland Station Shopping Center in honor of Kumar, just feet away from where he was murdered. He was remembered as a hard worker, and many at the vigil vowed to take action.

Feb. 5: Quadruple homicide, Shady Oak Drive

The shooting deaths of three men and one woman late Wednesday night at an apartment complex near 42nd Street and Mitthoeffer Road has prompted an outcry from religious, political and community leaders around the city, as they denounce what many have called a surge of violence. Police have said the shootings appeared to be targeted, and no arrests have been made.

Braxton Ford, 21; Marcel Wills, 20; Jalen Roberts, 19; and Kimari Hunt, 21, were found dead at the Carriage House East Apartments. A person living nearby said she heard 20-30 gunshots that night.

IMPD Chief Randal Taylor said Thursday that investigators don’t know the motive: “There’s answers out there. There’s people who know. Our detectives are dedicated to finding the people responsible for this. I know they’ll work hard.”

The shooting victims, Braxton Ford, Kimari Hunt, Jalen Roberts and Marcel Wills, were remembered with a vigil Thursday. Relatives told News 8 that Hunt was the girlfriend of Marcel Wills and that Wills was a cousin of Ford and Roberts. Each of the victims had not yet celebrated their 22nd birthday.

How to leave a tip

For the next 48 hours — from the afternoon of Feb.11 to the afternoon of Feb. 13 — members of the IMPD Homicide Unit will be available to take tips or information. Citizens with any information on either case are encouraged to call the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.

IMPD says citizens can also download the mobile P3tips app for Apple or Android phones to submit a mobile tip, or submit a web tip here.

According to IMPD, you will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 if the information leads to a felony arrest. Only tips submitted directly and anonymously to Crime Stoppers are eligible for these cash rewards.