INDIANAPOLIS — A man shot twice by Indianapolis Metro Police in the last two years will spend at least a year in prison. At his sentencing hearing Tuesday afternoon, Dontriell Hood asked for community corrections and mental health residential treatment instead of prison time.
Hood already agreed to a year in prison in a plea deal signed Aug. 16. He pleaded guilty to criminal recklessness and unlawful carrying of a handgun in an incident where he was shot by police Nov. 10, 2023.
That day, police responded to Hood firing about a dozen shots on Caroline Avenue, near the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Some bullets hit a house across the street from Hood's home. He allegedly went for his gun on the ground as police tried to arrest him. He was then shot in the arm.
Hood told Marion Superior Court Judge Marshelle Dawkins Broadwell that he suffers from schizophrenia.
"I really appreciate it if you could give me some help," Hood said. "At first, I was ashamed. I didn't know what schizophrenia was. But I had a therapist here. She gave me a sheet basically telling me what schizophrenia is. I know I definitely suffer from it. So, I would appreciate it if I could get some help."
The 2023 case was also a violation of Hood's community corrections sentence from an April 2022 case that was very similar. Hood pleaded guilty to firing shots at people fishing in Fall Creek. Police took Hood into custody after shooting him with a less lethal launcher. He was on house arrest when he fired the gunshots in November 2023.
"Not even two months into his community corrections sentence, Mr. Hood did pick up another major felony case," Marion County Deputy Prosecutor Erika Patrick said. "It is very similar in nature to the violation case. Both the violation and the new case involved Mr. Hood having and shooting firearms. Both of these cases do show that Mr. Hood is an extreme danger to the community, to the police and even to himself."
The judge amended Hood's sentence in the 2022 case to add another year in prison for the violation.
A group of Hood's family and friends attended the sentencing.
"I feel that the sentencing was very unfair," said Tonyia Hardin, a close friend. "Dontriell has a mental illness, and I don't think he should be penalized twice for having a mental illness, as well as being shot."
Hood will return to home detention and mental health treatment after serving his prison time.
The police body camera video from the November 2023 incident has never been released. 13News is working to obtain that footage now that the criminal case is concluded.