A trip to an Indianapolis park led to an encounter between Indianapolis Metropolitan Police and an 18-year-old that resulted in his mugshot making national news outlets and him spending several days in jail along with losing his job.
An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department sergeant accused Dailen Brewer of pointing a revolver at her and pulling the trigger. “Brewer made a gesture like he pulled the trigger, but the gun did not fire. He looked down at his gun as if he were surprised by this,” police wrote in a Facebook post announcing his arrest.
“Our officers were faced with rapidly escalating and extremely dangerous situations in which firearms were pointed at officers,” IMPD Chief Tanya Terry was quoted as saying in the post. “In each moment, our officers responded with professionalism and action, maintained control under extreme pressure, and prevented what could have been tragic outcomes.”
Brewer says that never happened.
He was booked on preliminary charges of attempted murder, intimidating an officer, resisting law enforcement where a weapon is drawn and two counts of pointing a firearm. Those charges dropped to one count of pointing a firearm, and days later, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the case, citing “evidentiary problems” because “body-worn camera footage does not support the allegations in the probable cause affidavit,” and Brewer was released from jail.
“It doesn’t feel right. Police can say anything, and everybody goes along with it, because they’re the police. I wouldn’t point a gun at a cop,” Brewer told IndyStar.
Since that encounter, Brewer has been left to deal with the effects of being arrested and publicly labeled a violent man capable of shooting at police. It’s also caused an uproar from people who were at the park that day and community leaders who are calling for the police chief and the Public Affairs Office to acknowledge the harm in the arrest and highlighting the case on social media.
In response to IndyStar’s questions about the social media post and case outcome, an unnamed public affairs representative said via email the post notes that “an arrest is merely an accusation, and the individual should be considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.”
They also said charges are determined by the prosecutor, and alluded to the officer’s camera not capturing what she was actually seeing. “Body-worn cameras, while valuable tools, only capture a portion of an officer’s field of view and do not capture everything experienced by an officer,” an unnamed department spokesperson wrote in an email.
The representative declined an interview with the police chief, referring IndyStar to the previous statement.
IndyStar has requested Frazier’s personnel file and the body-worn camera footage of the incident.
Affidavit doesn’t match department’s social media post
Brewer was arrested soon after arriving at Riverside Park on April 12, 2026.
Police had the entrance to the park barricaded about 6:30 p.m. that day. Police told IndyStar that traffic was being diverted from entering the park as a precaution. East Riverside Drive, along with Riverside Park, had become congested with traffic, which could keep emergency vehicles from reaching Riverside Park and the adjacent neighborhood if needed.
Brewer drove his red Honda HR-V through the park’s exit before parking.
That’s when 17-year veteran Sgt. Robyn Frazier activated her body-worn camera. She drove to position her vehicle in front of Brewer’s, got out and approached the Honda.
In a one-page probable cause affidavit, Frazier wrote that she saw Brewer’s friend with a “long gun” in between his legs, but she wasn’t able to see Brewer’s hands. As she stepped closer, she said Brewer appeared to be pointing a revolver toward her at the door panel.
“Brewer raised the revolver, then dropped the gun and raised both hands,” she wrote in the probable cause affidavit.
Brewer says that’s not what happened.
“As soon as she got up to the car, I didn’t touch anything. As soon as she said, ‘raise your hands,’ I raised my hands. I didn’t touch nothing at all. And then she said step out the car. I might as well comply,” Brewer said.
Frazier ordered Brewer to open the vehicle door and when he did, “Sgt. Frazier could see an AR-style gun between Brewer’s legs and a revolver next to his left foot,” police wrote in court documents.
Frazier said that Brewer moved his left arm, which prompted her to pull her firearm, ordering him not to move.
Brewer complied and was confused when he learned he was being arrested.
The probable cause affidavit includes no mention of Brewer making a gesture like he had pulled a trigger.
Mykale Oliver, who witnessed the encounter at Riverside, said Brewer and his friend were calm and quickly and quietly complied. Oliver said she also overheard an officer’s voice shake as she told other law enforcement at the scene, “he pointed a gun at me.”
She took photos of the arrest, and was upset when she read IMPD’s narrative of what happened.
“On every single news story that I saw online, I posted ‘this is a lie’ in the comments,” Oliver said. “I need the police and media’s apology for this to be just as loud as the disrespect.”
Teen loses job because of arrest
“My son had a good job working in Westfield for a construction site company that built a new home. He lost that now,” said his mom, Delores Brewer.
He’d also never been in trouble with the law, Brewer said. A search of his name in online court and police databases for Marion County shows no past criminal history. People without criminal histories or other disqualifying criteria are legally able to carry firearms in the state of Indiana once they turn 18.
“If carrying guns were such a problem in today’s world, why would this state pass such laws to make them more accessible?” Delores Brewer told IndyStar.
Beyond losing his job, Dailen Brewer said the experience of being arrested — including the fingerprinting, intake searches and days away from his family — especially for something he didn’t do, will leave a lasting impression.
He said he’s happy to be home and appreciates community members and leaders having his back. The police department and the prosecutor’s office said it will continue to review the incident.
“The truth always comes to light, you know,” Dailen Brewer said.
Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bodycam footage clears teen accused of pointing gun at Indianapolis police
Reporting by Jade Jackson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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