Indianapolis city-county councilor Ron Gibson says more than a dozen bullets were fired into his home days after he threw his support behind the construction of a data center in Martindale Brightwood that has for months been the subject of community discord.
After midnight on April 6, Gibson woke up to the sound of gunfire, a spokesperson for the councilor told IndyStar earlier this week.
A piece of paper that said “NO DATA CENTERS” was tucked beneath his doormat, according to a photograph provided by the councilor.
When did the shooting take place?
Gibson told police that the shooting took place around 12:45 a.m. on April 6.
Was anyone home during the shooting?
Yes. Gibson and his eight-year-old son were asleep at home at the time of the shooting, which was not reported to police until 8:54 a.m., according to an incident report reviewed by IndyStar.
Why wasn’t the shooting reported to police immediately?
Gibson told IndyStar that he woke up to the sound of loud bangs at around 12:45 a.m. He noticed some damage to his front door but didn’t turn on any lights and went back to bed. He said that he woke hours later to go to the gym.
He did not notice the bullet holes until he returned from the gym, he said. Gibson said he did not want to alarm his son, so he made sure that he got to his school bus stop before he called the police.
Was anyone injured?
Nobody was injured, and investigators believe the shooting was “an isolated, targeted incident.”
What message was left?
A piece of paper with “NO DATA CENTERS” handwritten in capital letters was found in a plastic zip-top storage bag partially tucked beneath the corner of Gibson’s doormat, according to a picture provided by the councilor. Shards of glass were strewn on the doormat and across the porch.
Who is investigating?
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is handling the investigation with assistance from the FBI.
In a statement, Gibson thanked both agencies as well as Homeland Security.
On Tuesday the police department set up a mobile camera outside Gibson’s home.
Has anyone been arrested?
Nobody has been arrested or charged in connection with the shooting at the time of publication.
How many shots were fired?
IMPD declined to answer this question, citing the ongoing investigation. Gibson said 13 rounds were fired into the front door of his home.
What kind of gun was used?
Neither investigators nor Gibson’s spokesperson have released this information.
Did anyone else hear the shots?
Gibson’s neighbor Dehia Williams told IndyStar that she heard the shots when they rang out, but didn’t see anything concerning when she looked out of her window. She said didn’t call police because they were likely already on patrol nearby.
There was one police radio call about gunfire near Gibson’s home around the time he said he heard the shots.
At about 12:24 a.m., IMPD officers received a radio transmission about possible gunfire in the 3900 block of North Grand Avenue, an address one block east and two blocks south of Gibson’s home.
The police dispatcher said a caller thought they’d heard four shots fired about seven or eight minutes earlier, at approximately 12:16 or 12:17 a.m. Gibson said he recalled hearing the shots about 30 minutes after that, around 12:45 a.m.
It’s unclear what, if any, incident that police radio call referred to. No reports documenting any kind of police call to North Grand Avenue between April 5 and April 7 had been filed at the time of publication, and no other IMPD incident reports filed between those dates documented shots fired within a mile of Gibson’s home, an IndyStar analysis found.
What is the planned data center?
Los-Angeles-based startup Metrobloks wants to build a $500 million data center on a long-vacant 14-acre plot of land near the intersection of 25th Street and North Sherman Drive. The campus would span roughly 168,000 feet and include 36 electrical generators. Metrobloks has said it will pay for all necessary updates to fiber and energy infrastructure.
Why is the data center controversial?
Martindale Brightwood has for generations been subject to environmental problems, including lead-contaminated soil, from industrial land use. Residents worry that the data center’s heavy energy demand and noise pollution could reduce quality of life in the predominantly Black neighborhood, and that it wouldn’t create enough jobs to strengthen the community’s economy.
Neighbors have also raised concerns about a lack of transparency surrounding the project’s construction, and have also pointed out that Metrobloks, which was founded in 2024, does not currently operate any data centers.
What did Gibson say in support of the data center’s construction?
On April 1, the Metropolitan Development Commission cleared the way to rezone the land for the data center in a 6-2 vote.
Before the vote was taken, the eight-member board heard public testimony, including from residents who overwhelmingly opposed the data center. Many held signs protesting its construction.
Gibson was one of those who spoke in favor of the rezoning. When he stood to speak, the audience could be heard softly booing.
“At the end of the day, this comes down to a choice,” Gibson said. “We can allow this property to remain stagnant or we can move it toward productive use with stronger standards, clear commitments and a real expectation of community benefit.”
As the councilor representing the district that contains the land, Gibson is the only person who could call a proposal for a vote that would overturn the decision. He is not expected to do so.
How has Gibson reacted to the shooting?
At a regularly-scheduled City-County Council meeting on the evening of April 6, Gibson told reporters that violence is not acceptable. He said he’s focusing on protecting his eight-year-old son, who was home at the time of the shooting.
In an interview with IndyStar on April 7, Gibson said that the shooting was “the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced.”
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: City-county councilor’s home shot, note left behind: what we know
Reporting by Ryan Murphy, Jade Jackson and Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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