x
Breaking News
More () »

Man sentenced to 45 years in prison for role in deadly southeast Indianapolis shooting

Tavon Macklin and John Ziegler were convicted in a fatal robbery in a gas station parking lot that killed Justin White.

INDIANAPOLIS — The second man found guilty in the deadly shooting of a man on the west side of Indianapolis in 2021 was sentenced to prison.

John Ziegler pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

His accomplice, Tavon Macklin, was found guilty of two counts of murder, attempted robbery resulting in serious bodily injury and other charges. He's set for sentencing at the end of March.

On Jan. 17, 2021, Justin White and another man stopped at a gas station in the 2900 block of South Keystone Avenue.

White stayed in the car while his passenger went into the gas station. According to witnesses, when White's passenger got back to the car, Ziegler and Macklin pulled up next to White's car and tried to rob them. White put his car in reverse, and that's when Ziegler and Macklin opened fire.

Tips from the community, after the shooting, led police to Ziegler and Macklin.

During the investigation, police found Macklin and Ziegler were messaging each other on social media, planning the robbery just hours before.

RELATED: Second suspect arrested in January homicide on southeast side

Macklin's other cases

Tavon Macklin was involved in a string of violent crimes at the start of 2021.

February murder

On Feb. 21, 2021, IMPD officers responded to a call about a person shot in the 5600 block of West 38th Street, near Moller Road. When officers arrived, they found 53-year-old Eugenio Roman lying unresponsive in a parking lot suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. 

During the investigation into Roman's murder, detectives obtained surveillance video from a nearby business, which showed a dark-colored SUV entering the parking lot the night of the shooting.

The video showed Roman leaving a business when the SUV pulled up near his car. Two suspects then exited the SUV and fired several shots. The suspects then searched Roman's pockets and vehicle before leaving the scene.

Credit: IMPD
Tavon Macklin

RELATED: Man sentenced to 58 years in prison for role in deadly west Indianapolis shooting

Macklin was arrested in possession of a firearm, and the firearm was determined to be the same gun used during Roman's killing. A search warrant issued for Macklin's phone records revealed he was in the same parking lot at the same time of the murder. 

Macklin was sentenced to 58 years in prison for the murder.

Officer-involved shooting

Macklin was arrested after an officer-involved shooting on Feb. 23, 2021. 

Officers were tracking the then 21-year-old when the SUV he was in tried to flee a traffic stop

After forcing the vehicle to a stop, police said Macklin left the vehicle from the passenger side and began firing at officers. In surveillance images from a church released by IMPD, the department said you can see Macklin pointing a gun at officers. They said he fired multiple shots.

Credit: IMPD
Surveillance video released by IMPD allegedly shows Tavon Macklin firing at officers on Feb. 23, 2021.

RELATED: IMPD releases bodycam and surveillance video from officer-involved shooting of murder suspect

IMPD later said seven officers fired back at the suspect, wounding him, and Macklin still managed to fire another shot before surrendering.

Three of the officers were wearing body-worn cameras that were recording at the time of the shooting.  

Credit: IMPD
An IMPD bodycam image of an officer-involved shooting from Feb. 23, 2021.

Macklin was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but his condition later became stable. He was arrested when he was released from the hospital on two outstanding felony robbery warrants.

Macklin is facing several charges, including attempted murder and criminal recklessness, for the Feb. 23, 2021 officer-involved shooting incident.

WARNING: The police video of the incident contains graphics images and language.

Before You Leave, Check This Out