ANDERSON, Ind. — The man accused of killing an Elwood police officer will get a competency hearing this spring.
Carl Roy Webb Boards II could face the death penalty for the July 2022 murder of Ofc. Noah Shahnavaz. According to our partners at The Herald Bulletin in Anderson, a judge scheduled the competency hearing for April and said the hearing would be in close proximity for a determination on Boards' motion of intellectual disability.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case. Last July, Boards' attorneys claimed he had an intellectual disability, which could impact whether or not he can face the death penalty.
Boards is accused of fatally shooting Shahnavaz on July 31, 2022. He is charged with murder, two counts of resisting law enforcement, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, firearm enhancement, habitual offender, life without parole and the death penalty.
The competency hearing could delay proceedings for Boards jury trial, which is currently scheduled for Jan. 13, 2025. According to the Herald Bulletin, the trial schedule currently has jury questionnaires to be completed by March, but those questions cannot be finalized until the competency hearing is held. A defense motion for a change of venue could also delay the questionnaires.
Timeline of events
Indiana State Police said Shahnavaz tried to stop a 2012 Buick LaCrosse near the intersection of State Road 37 and County Road 1100N in Madison County just after 2 a.m. Sunday, July 31, 2022.
According to court documents, Shahnavaz radioed in the license plate number. The last radio transmission from the officer recorded him saying, "had a gun."
ISP said the suspect got out of the Buick and fired multiple rounds at Shahnavaz for an unknown reason. Shahnavaz was hit multiple times. His gun was found still in its holster. Investigators found 36 rifle bullet casings in the road that are believed to be from the suspect's gun.
Police said the suspect then took off in the Buick.
Additional responding officers gave first aid to Shahnavaz until an ambulance arrived. He was taken to a hospital in Elwood before being moved to a hospital in Indianapolis, where he died from his injuries.
Around 2:30 a.m., the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department attempted to stop the Buick on State Road 37. A tire deflation device was used on it near State Road 37 and 146th Street, but the Buick kept going and made it onto Interstate 69.
Fishers Police Department officers then twice used their vehicles to stop the Buick. The second time, the Buick hit the median barrier and came to a stop. Officers were then able to arrest the suspect.
During the arrest of the suspect, a handgun was located on him. It was a 9mm handgun. A black rifle with a high-capacity magazine was on the driver's seat of the vehicle. A high-capacity magazine was also found at the barber shop where the suspect worked.