INDIANAPOLIS – Aaron Bailey, the man shot and killed by Indianapolis police last week, was a part of a city running group that encouraged individuals to turn their lives around.
Back on my Feet, the group for homeless men, met outside of Wheeler Mission – but lately they’ve been with one less person.
“I strongly believe that he got back on his feet,” said group member Ve-Lyssa Stallina Lang. “The incident that happened was unfortunate."
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police said last Thursday 45-year-old Bailey fled from a traffic stop and led police on a brief chase that lasted about a minute and ended when the car crashed into a tree near the intersection of 23rd Street and Aqueduct Street.
According to IMPD Chief Brian Roach, two officers fired "multiple" rounds at the vehicle, hitting Bailey. He was taken to Eskenazi Hospital where he later died.
No weapon was found inside the vehicle.
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Lang said she bonded with Bailey during their runs. Two weeks ago, Bailey shared with her how happy he was to have a car - the same car that was crashed just before he was killed.
Bailey was no stranger to police. He accumulated 11 felony cases since 1996, but Lang said Bailey “shouldn’t be dead” and was truly turning his life around.
"He should be remembered as a man who made mistakes in his life, but he found a family. You could see it in him. He loved being around us, and we loved being around him,” said Mark Smith who was formerly homeless and a participant in the running program.
Monday night IMPD Chief Bryan Roach released a video statement detailing his outlook since the shooting death. He said two investigations into the incident are underway and the department is looking into best practices on use of force.
"We are exploring outside independent investigation reviews of officer involved shootings and how we investigate those," he said. “We are also committed to review IMPD training including but limited to use of force, mental illness and implicit bias."
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