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Jason Brown formally charged with murder of Southport police lieutenant

Posted at 1:31 PM, Aug 01, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-02 10:02:31-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- Jason Brown was formally charged on Tuesday with the murder of Southport police lieutenant Aaron Allan.

Brown, 28, has been charged with murder and possession of marijuana.

"What we are announcing against the man accused should not distract our attention from the service provided by Lieutenant Aaron Allan," Prosecutor Terry Curry said in a release. "This is a tragic loss for the community and we extend our sympathies to the family and friends of Lt. Allan and the Southport Police Department."

Allan was assisting Homecroft Police Department Major C.T. Bowman Thursday at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Maynard Drive on Marion County's south side where a blue 2004 BMW with the plate "INKMAN" had crashed and landed on its top in someone's front yard.

Upon responding, Bowman said Jason Brown was wedged, upside down, being held by his seatbelt in the driver's seat.

Allan arrived on the scene to assist, and approached the passenger side of the vehicle.

The driver was "hysterical," Bowman said, while another witness described him as "very agitated and belligerent." The witness also said the driver began swearing. Allan crawled to him from the passenger side and told him to be calm and that help was enroute. Bowman then checked on the passenger of the vehicle, who was standing outside of the car, and a witness to the crash when he heard several gunshots.

Bowman heard 10-12 shots, then a lull, then 2-3 more.

A witness near the driver's side of the overturned vehicle said he saw Brown trying to reach for something behind his back, according to the probable cause affidavit. He said he saw a pistol and somebody said "gun."

Another witness who was sitting in the passenger's seat of a car at Madison and Maynard told IMPD he saw the driver point a gun at the officer and fire multiple shots, according to a the originally filed probable cause document. The driver continued shooting as the officer tried to crawl away, the witness told police.

Allan was hit 11 times, including once in the heart, according to the updating charging documents. Earlier documents, citing a detective on the scene, showed he was shot 14 times. 

Two other law enforcement officers who had responded to assist, Homecroft Chief John Ryan and an off-duty Johnson County deputy, both returned fire, striking Brown. (An earlier report cited that Major Bowman had fired shots at Brown, but the most recent charging documents clarified the second officer to return fire was Chief Ryan.)

Brown was hit in the right cheek, the right clavicle and the left arm. 

 

Bowman called more officers and medics to the scene, who took Allan and Brown to the hospital. Allan was pronounced dead at 3:25 p.m.

A one-quart bag of 13 smaller bags of suspected marijuana were found in the car, as well as a black Springfield XDM-9 pistol. The slide was locked back, and it contained an empty magazine fit to hold 20 rounds.

Detectives also talked to the passenger of the overturned vehicle, who said Brown began driving fast for an unknown reason when he hit the curb and went airborne. After the crash, the passenger crawled out of the vehicle and was talking to Major Bowman when the shots rang out. 

Brown is scheduled to appear in court Thursday. He was initially scheduled to appear Tuesday, but he was not medically cleared. 

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Before Tuesday's charges, Brown's criminal history shows four traffic infractions and one misdemeanor on his record. The 2013 misdemeanor was for buying and smoking spice. He was found guilty and sentenced to 30 days in a county jail.

You can read the fully updated charging court documents below.

 

READ MORE | Owner of shop where suspected cop killer Jason Brown worked: "Please don't condemn us all" | Who is Jason Brown? Woman who's known him his whole life says shooting suspect is 'shy & timid' | Jason Brown's criminal history detailedFamily of Lt. Aaron Allan issues statement | Remembering Southport police Lt. Aaron Allan: A father, a husband & first to rush to those in need | Fellow officer on Lt. Aaron Allan: "The footprints he left are huge"