"Please Come Get Me": Indianapolis Black Man Fatally Shot by Police Reportedly Live Streamed the Incident on Facebook
Four thousand people reportedly tuned into the Facebook Live video that included the police chase and fatal shooting.
An Indianapolis police officer fatally shot a man on Wednesday, the man reportedly live-streamed the chase and shooting on Facebook Live. The Washington Post reports the family of the victim has identified him as 21-year-old Sean Reed.
According to the New York Times, the Indianapolis Police Department said its chief and deputy chief were both driving home from work around 6 p.m. This was when they noticed a man driving “recklessly” and attempted to pull him over. Since the man didn’t stop the officers continued pursuing him for about 10 minutes before their supervisors ordered them to stop.
As the video streamed prior to the man exiting the vehicle, 4,000 people tuned into the chase. He reportedly begged for help. “Somebody come get my stupid ass,” he said. “Please come get me! Please come get me! Please come get me!” This was before officers caught up to him.
Approximately five minutes later, an additional officer ran after the man after he saw him park the car behind a building and take off running. Following a short chase, the officer reportedly shot and killed him, around 6:15 p.m. 13 or 14 gunshots were heard on the video. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Facebook Live video that allegedly showed the shooting doesn’t include the driver firing first at police which Chris Bailey, an assistant chief of police shared with reporters at the scene. Additionally, Bailey said the officer and the driver were the only individuals at the scene and that a gun was found near the driver.
Bailey also added:
“Both the officers and the detectives have done their due diligence in preserving that evidence through the proper legal channels, and if it’s associated that there’s information on there that’s appropriate for the investigation, they’ll utilize it.”
At the moment, police have not named the driver or the police officer who shot him, both of them were described as black men. As we previously mentioned his family has openly shared the victim's name, Sean Reed.
Hours after the incident the Indianapolis Star reported between 100 to 150 protestors showed up to speak out about the shooting. They chanted “Murder! Murder!” in addition to “No Justice! No Peace!” One activist shared, “We deserve better. I am disgusted, horrified, tired and angry.”
Police said the shooting is currently being investigated by the department. A separate, independent internal investigation will also be conducted. The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave.