A grand jury and an internal review board will examine the actions of an Indianapolis metropolitan police officer who fatally shot a 24-year-old man in his home on the city’s Northeastside.
Officers responding to an emergency call from his mother shot Stephen Reynolds, of 7526 Honnen Drive South, about 8 p.m. Monday.
Reynolds’ parents said he had been suicidal and was handling a gun earlier, which they managed to take away from him, said Lt. Jeffrey Duhamell, a spokesman for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
When fifth-year IMPD Officer Adam Lee and Officer Eric Hotseller arrived Reynolds was in an upstairs bedroom holding two knives, one in each hand, police said. Reynolds came at the pair and Hotseller, with 2 ½ years experience, fired a stun gun at him, but it failed to slow Reynolds, Duhamell said.
Lee then shot Reynolds in the chest.
IMPD Sgt. Paul Thompson said he didn’t know how close Reynolds came to the officers but said the stun guns work best within 21 feet of their targets.
Lee will be placed on administrative desk duty. Also, a Firearms Review Board, composed of police officials, will review the incident, as will a Marion County grand jury. The reviews are standard whenever there is a fatal shooting by a police officer.
The review board will determine whether Lee followed proper police procedure, IMPD Sgt. Paul Thompson said. The grand jury will decide if his actions were criminal.
Reynolds, who had never been arrested in Marion County, died at Methodist Hospital and was pronounced dead at 10:03 p.m. Monday. He was scheduled to undergo an autopsy today to determine the cause of death.
