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topicnews · September 24, 2024

Court documents reveal reasons behind Indianapolis police shooting of man

Court documents reveal reasons behind Indianapolis police shooting of man

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According to court documents, Grant Brown tried to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend hours before he was shot by police, before emotions escalated and a hostage situation ensued.

Brown, 63, who shared the apartment with his ex-girlfriend, tried to talk to her about their breakup early on Sept. 11 as she was getting ready for work. She told him she didn’t want to talk and asked if she should take him to a mental hospital. Brown had a hard time accepting the breakup and was “not in the best of spirits.” The ex-girlfriend later told police that she had been held at gunpoint that morning and had tried to escape at least once.

These details were laid out in charging documents against Brown, who was formally charged Tuesday with two counts of attempted murder, one count of false imprisonment using the victim as a human shield, one count of false imprisonment with a deadly weapon and two counts of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.

He pleaded not guilty and a judge set his bail at $100,000. No attorney was listed for Brown in online court records.

Related: What we know about the 11th Indianapolis police-involved shooting this year

“You could hear it in her voice”

The ex-girlfriend screamed so loudly that several neighbors heard her cries for help around 10:30 a.m.

“Please don’t do this. Please let me go,” a neighbor heard, according to court documents.

The ex-girlfriend’s daughter had been calling her mother all morning.

They had planned to meet at 9:30 a.m., but the night before her mother had sent her a disturbing text message from Brown’s phone number, which put her daughter on alert.

“I’m sorry for everything,” the text message read. “I called the bank earlier. Whatever is in (the bank account), I want to give it to you. I love you. I’m sorry for letting you and your family down. I can’t think straight, I hear and see things that aren’t there. Last night someone knocked on the air vent above my bed. I ask that you please give me the dignity of not sharing my breakdown with your friends and family.”

When her mother did not show up for her meeting that morning and the calls went to voicemail, the daughter asked her best friend, who lives near her mother, to check on her.

The best friend knocked on the door via Facetime, but got no answer. The lights were off inside, but Brown and his ex-girlfriend’s cars were parked outside.

Then the best friend started banging on the door and said that 911 had been called and the police were on the way.

“Oh, we’re fine. Everything’s fine,” Brown said, according to court documents.

The best friend was not convinced and said she had to hear it herself.

Then the friend heard a woman’s voice say: “It’s OK. I’m fine.”

The friend told police that the woman was not feeling well. “You could hear it in her voice,” she told police.

When the daughter arrived at the apartment, the police were already there. She insisted that her mother was not well.

Police confront Brown and shoot him

Before the daughter called police, officers received an incomplete 911 call from neighbors. Police attempted to check on the woman but were unable to locate the apartment due to a lack of information, court documents state.

About 30 minutes later, police were called to the scene after a neighbor saw a woman screaming outside the apartment, court documents show.

Officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department arrived at the apartment in the 7800 block of River Road around 11:30 a.m. and attempted to make contact with the girlfriend.

While officers tried to get Brown to leave the apartment, another officer peered through a window and noticed Brown holding the gun, court documents say.

Police kicked in the front door and attempted to subdue Brown.

Officer Michelle Clegg, a 9-year veteran, and Sergeant Evan Meyer, a 14-year veteran, then shot at Brown, eventually hitting him in the arm and stomach.

The girlfriend was not injured.

Brown was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition and later arrested.

Clegg and Meyer have been placed on leave, as per standard protocol, pending an internal investigation.

This was the eleventh shooting this year involving officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at [email protected]. Jade Jackson, public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star, contributed to this article. Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar. Follow her on Twitter at @IAMJADEJACKSON.

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