It’s been nearly two months since a City-County Councilor says he found his front door riddled with bullets and a note that read “No Data Centers” tucked under the welcome mat.
Despite an investigation by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI, no arrests have been announced in connection with the shooting at Councilor Ron Gibson’s house.
Representatives with both agencies said that their investigative efforts remain ongoing.
“IMPD is in regular contact with me,” Gibson told IndyStar. “I’m at a comfort level. It’s a pretty difficult case.”
He said that investigators are awaiting the results of some forensic tests.
The councilor said that at around 12:45 a.m. on April 6, he was awoken by the sound of gunfire and shattering glass. He told IndyStar that he noticed some damage to the front door, but didn’t turn the lights. He checked on his 8-year-old son before he says they both went back to sleep.
Gibson woke up later that morning and went to the gym. It was only when he returned from that trip that he noticed 13 bullet holes in his storm door and a note tucked beneath his doormat that read “no data centers.”
He said he made sure his son got on the school bus before contacting police at around 8:55 a.m. because he didn’t want him to worry.
That delay in reporting drove some skepticism about the veracity of Gibson’s claims on social media, which the councilor vehemently rejected when reached by IndyStar on June 4.
“That kind of ridiculous rhetoric makes me highly upset,” Gibson said.
In the days before the shooting, Gibson was booed at a meeting of the Metropolitan Development Commission as he spoke in favor of Los Angeles-based startup Metrobloks’ plan to build a data center on a long-abandoned piece of land near the intersection of 25th Street and North Sherman Drive.
Though the audience was packed with people who’d showed up to protest the data center’s construction, the commission cleared the way for rezoning with a 6-2 vote on April 1.
Several weeks later, a group of neighbors and an environmental advocacy group filed a lawsuit against the commission, arguing that the city failed to properly consider the ecological and public health risks when approving the variances to build the data center.
The shooting prompted councilors to vote June 1 to remove their home addresses from public disclosure statements. Gibson was among the proposal’s supporters. Gibson told IndyStar at the time that before the shooting he likely would have opposed the idea.
“At the end of the day, I believe IMPD and FBI will get very close to their final suspect. I hope,” Gibson told IndyStar. “…The truth is the truth and the truth will prevail.”
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘The truth will prevail.’ Indy councilor awaiting answers after home shot up
Reporting by Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
