Indianapolis police mistakenly shot an armed man in the stomach who was trying to defend his wife during a home robbery.
Police responded to a call about an armed robbery at someone’s home, reports the Indy Star. When police arrived on the scene, a nine-year veteran on the force mistakenly shot the homeowner, Carl Williams, who was armed at the time.
“Our homeowner, the individual who was trying his best protect himself and his wife from any other harm, was shot mistakenly by our officers,” Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Maj. Richard Riddle said during a news conference. “This incident occurred within a few seconds, and those judgment calls are made within a few split seconds.
Around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, police responded to a call a man placed saying that a robbery had occurred at his home. He told police that an armed burglar had stolen his wife’s car keys from in front of their home and had driven off in their black Nissan Sentra.
In the call, the homeowner described the robber as a black man clothed in a red shirt and carrying a rifle. The homeowner himself is black. At the end of the call, the homeowner is heard asking, “Is that him?”
At that point, the call was disconnected and the operator could not connect back.
The IMPD said that officers arrived and saw the black Nissan Sentra in the driveway; police said that the officers thought the robber might still be there, so they approached “in a covert manner to investigate the vehicle.”
Williams came out of his garage with his handgun and Officer Christopher Mills shot him in the stomach. It is unclear whether Williams raised his gun or pointed it in a threatening way.
Williams was rushed to the hospital in serious condition; he is expected to survive.
Mills has been placed on administrative leave while an investigation is underway.
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