IMPD makes arrest in Fountain Square street shooting

INDIANAPOLIS — A road rage shooting in the middle of Fountain Square leaves one man in the hospital and another in jail.

Witnesses claim the driver of a red Jeep, which had an Uber sticker on its windshield, pulled up next to the driver of a white pickup truck at the intersection of Virginia and Shelby around 1 a.m. Sunday and opened fire. The shots shattered the truck’s passenger window.

“We heard the shot and then saw the window being broken,” witness Viviana Hickey told WIBC. “Then I called 911 and ran there. The guy was bleeding.”

After sustaining life-threatening injuries in the shooting, the driver of the pickup truck sped forward but quickly crashed into another car.

According to court documents, the suspect remained at the scene after the shooting and admitted to pulling the trigger.

Witnesses told police the suspect in the Jeep, Lekedrick Hughes, was driving aggressively and appeared to be arguing with the victim while the two sat at a stoplight.

Regrettably, such violent incidents on the road have become all too common, police said, and they are encouraging everyone to remain calm behind the wheel.

“IMPD has seen an alarming increase in road rage shootings and behind-the-wheel incidents,” said IMPD Officer Drew Brown.

While IMPD does not specifically track the number of road shootings, Indiana State Police last year began counting incidents in which firearms were displayed on highways and claimed there would be 236 such crimes in 2023 around Indianapolis and there were 56 shootings.

“We want to emphasize and emphasize that people make mistakes and we cannot allow those mistakes to lead to violence,” Brown said.

IMPD says the Fountain Square shooting is a reminder for people to avoid angry confrontations with other drivers.

“We just want to encourage drivers to take a breath and calm down. Call the police if you feel the situation is escalating. It makes no sense for a road rage incident to escalate into violence,” Brown said.

While Hughes allegedly told officers at the scene that he shot the victim, he did not provide any further details when he was brought in for questioning.

According to police, a handgun used in the shooting and a loaded shotgun were recovered from the suspect’s Jeep.

The suspect faces a preliminary charge of assault with a deadly weapon.

Ultimately, it will be up to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office to file formal charges in the case.