This article will update.
An Indianapolis police officer was shot and another man critically injured after an exchange of gunfire on the city’s north side, according to police.
The shooting happened after the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer was dispatched just after 10 p.m. May 8, 2026, to the 6300 block of North Washington Boulevard about a possible homicide involving a firearm.
When police arrived, they spoke with people at the home and determined no one had been killed. Instead, police learned an intoxicated man, armed with a gun, had been acting erratically during a disturbance.
As officers tried to speak with him, the man began walking away and told officers to shoot him, police said. Police say he then pulled out a gun and fired toward them.
Officers returned fire and one officer was struck during the exchange.
The injured officer, who wasn’t immediately identified, was taken to a hospital in stable condition. The man was also taken to a hospital and was listed in critical condition. Police said a firearm was recovered near the man.
“Every day, our IMPD officers put on their uniforms and leave their families behind to go out at keep our communities,” said Indianapolis Police Chief Tanya Terry during a media briefing after the shooting. “Tonight our officers, part of this community, were attacked. There’s no other way to put it.”
The chief called the shooting a “senseless act” and “stark reminder of the dangers our officers face” and encouraged the neighborhood to support each other.
“Put the guns down,” Terry said responding to a reporter’s question about what communities can do in these situations.
The officer who fired their weapon was wearing a body camera, which was activated, police said.
The police department’s Critical Incident Response Team is leading the criminal investigation, while Internal Affairs is conducting a separate administrative inquiry. The officer who fired their weapon has been placed on administrative leave, per department policy.
Following the investigation, a civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board will review the case.
Get more information of shootings involving Indianapolis police here.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘Put the guns down’ IMPD chief says after officer, man hurt in shooting
Reporting by Jen Guadarrama, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
