Indianapolis News and Headlines

Actions

Federal lawsuit filed over death of Indianapolis teen shot and killed by IMPD officers

Posted at 4:15 PM, Aug 08, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-09 17:39:30-04

INDIANAPOLIS --  A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed Tuesday by the family of a 15-year-old who was shot and killed by an officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in August 2015.

Police say Andre Green,15, was behind the wheel when they tried to pull over a carjacked vehicle in the 3300 block of Butler Avenue around 11 p.m. on August 9.

Two passengers got out and ran but officers say Green turned the car toward them and accelerated when he was ordered to get out of the vehicle.

Officers then shot at Green. He got out of the car with a gun and collapsed, according to IMPD. Green was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Marion County Coroner said Green died of multiple gunshot wounds.

PREVIOUS |Police shoot 15-year-old after carjacking, gunfire incident

"It is indeed troubling that a 15-year-old boy was shot in the back and killed. I do not care what he was accused of doing. He did not deserve to die," said Jamon Hicks, attorney for the Green family.

The lawsuit names the City of Indianapolis and "several unknown members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department" as defendants. It says officers' names haven't been released in the two years since Green's death.

The suit states that Green and his passengers were "allegedly joyriding" when they were pulled over and "the unidentified IMPD officers repeatedly and unjustifiably fired multiple rounds striking Andre all over his body killing him."

The lawsuit goes on to say that Green didn't pose any threat of violence to the officers or do anything to justify the use of force.

MORE | Father of Andre Green, 15-year-old killed by police, questions officers' account | Family of 15-year-old shot by police plans lawsuit against city, IMPD

Attorney Trent McCain, who authored the claim, says the City of Indianapolis encourages misconduct by its officers by failing to adequately train and discipline them "thereby leading IMPD officers to believe their actions will never be meaningfully scrutinized and, in that way, directly encouraging future uses of excessive deadly force."

McCain claims that the fact that the officers involved in Green's death were not disciplined and were back on duty shortly after the incident further shows IMPD's failure to investigate police misconduct.

RTV6 has reached out to the City of Indianapolis for comment on the lawsuit but has not yet received a reply.