INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man was sentenced to 60 years after being found guilty of murder in the 2022 deadly shooting of another man on Indianapolis' near east side.
Braven Harris was convicted of murder in the death of 23-year-old Payton Wilson after a three-day trial in January.
Early the morning of June 30, 2022, IMPD officers responded to a home in the 1000 block of Harlan Street, near Prospect Street and South Keystone Avenue, for reports of a person shot. Officers located Wilson in the backyard with multiple gunshot wounds, and medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Witnesses at the scene told police they had been attending a party when they saw Wilson speaking with Harris and another man in the backyard before Wilson asked them to leave.
"As the two began to walk away, shots were fired, and Wilson fell to the ground," the Marion County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.
Investigators determined Harris had been been discussing the shooting on social media, talking about having to "leave town" and "get a new phone" as police looked for him.
"According to witnesses, Wilson was trying to solve an ongoing dispute at the residence and asked Harris and the other man to leave, as it did not involve them," the prosecutor's office said.
“Payton was described by many who knew him as generous and loyal,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement following the sentencing. “We are grateful for witness cooperation that ultimately led to justice for Payton and his loved ones. Our thoughts remain with them during this difficult time.”
