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Arrest made in shooting that killed man near East 21st Street and Emerson Avenue

The shooting happened Thursday shortly before 4 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD made an arrest in a deadly shooting that happened on the city's east side Thursday morning. Detectives arrested 45-year-old Keith Phillips and he is awaiting formal charges.

Police responded to a report of a person shot in the 2000 block of North Spencer Avenue, near East 21st Street and Emerson Avenue, shortly before 4 a.m. on June 15.

Police arrived and found a man, 29-year-old Wayne Nalley, who had been shot inside of a barn at the end of a dead-end street, according to court documents. Detectives recovered three .233 rifle casings on scene. 

One witness on scene allegedly told police Nalley had been letting Phillips stay on the property, according to court documents, and that he had been sleeping in a truck parked by a nearby fence.

The two had gotten into a fight over money and Nalley staying on the property, according to that witness. The witness also allegedly told police he knew Phillips to be violent, but that he hadn't seen him this angry before. 

That morning, the witness was in the shop with Nalley and Phillips when the latter came in with a rifle telling Nalley to get on the ground, stating he "was not playing" that he would shoot him. The witness allegedly grabbed the gun and told Nalley to "quit playing" but Phillips had the bigger end of the weapon and he could not get it away from him.

Credit: Jaclynn Dodson
Wayne Allen Nalley, 29, was fatally shot Thursday, June 15, 2023, in the 2000 block of North Spencer Avenue, near East 21st Street and Emerson Avenue.

Phillips then reportedly fired one shot that hit the concrete floor and everyone ran, according to court documents. Then, according to the witness, he fired two shots at Nalley.

Video surveillance footage later analyzed by police reportedly showed Phillips entering the garage with a rifle shouldered and pointed at Nalley, pushing him to the front of an SUV. 

Phillips could allegedly be seen firing a gun into the concrete floor, then chasing Nalley out of view. 

The Marion County Coroner's Office later identified Nalley's death to be a homicide. 

Detectives then found and arrested Phillips at an apartment building in Indianapolis, and reportedly found a rifle matching the one seen in the surveillance video in Phllips' hall closet.

Now, Nalley's family is grieving the loss of a man they said was a lover, not a fighter. 

"He had a heart, he had a heart for everybody. He didn't deserve to go out like this. We need justice for Wayne Nalley," said Jaclynn Dodson, who was Nalley's fiancé.

Dodson was there the night her fiancé was killed. She said around 4 a.m., she heard gunshots from inside the home on North Spencer Avenue and tried to stop the shooting. 

"You need to be a man and come step up to what you did. You took a life. You took a father, you took somebody's son," Dodson said.

"We lean heavy on our community members in times like this because it takes us all to ensure that our community can remain safe," IMPD Officer Samone Burris said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Detective Gregory Shue at the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or by email at Gregory.Shue@indy.gov.

Tips can also be made anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.

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