INDIANAPOLIS — A funeral on the near northeast side of Indianapolis Saturday afternoon ended tragically when a guest was shot and killed in the church's parking lot.
The shooting happened shortly before 12:30 p.m. in the area of 25th Street and Ralston Avenue.
IMPD officers said a fight in the parking lot of Oasis of Hope Baptist Church led to the shooting.
The Marion County Coroner's Office identified the victim as 42-year-old Alan Jermaine Turman.
Monday morning, police announced an arrest in the incident, with 35-year-old Stefen Lowe arrested for murder.
Pastor Myron Duff is still processing what happened at his church, while he was memorializing a woman at her funeral.
"Right around the time of the final viewing, we heard some commotion outside, and that's around that time the situation had taken place," Duff said.
Officers arrived to find a man who had been shot and killed. Duff later found out the man was the son-in-law of the woman being remembered.
"My intention was to comfort a family who had lost a loved one. My initial reaction was shock, hoping it wasn't as bad as it was," Duff said.
Duff said everyone inside the building was safe, thanks to the safety protocols the church has in place.
"Once again, when the threat was presented, we were able to secure the safety of others. That was our main concern once we figured out what happened," Duff said.
IMPD officers that responded said it was disheartening that something like this would happen while there are people already inside grieving another loss of life.
"Nobody should have to go through this. Nobody should have to suffer the loss of a loved one," IMPD Officer William Young said. "But to think we had an act of violence at a funeral, that someone could not understand how to resolve their conflict and let cooler heads prevail and just walk away."
There were many onlookers at the scene after the shooting. Some were from the funeral, others were family and friends. There were many tears and a lot of anger.
As Duff prepares his Sunday sermon, he said his church is not going to let this tragedy rob them of their gratefulness.
"It is clear that Satan might have found his way to create some type of division within us or even the community, but what happened is we even got closer. God is faithful even in this situation," Duff said.
PHOTOS: Deadly shooting outside east side funeral
Police are asking for anyone with information to come forward as they continue to investigate.
Those with information are asked to contact Det. Brad Nuetzman at the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or Brad.Nuetzman@indy.gov. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 or (TIPS).