INDIANAPOLIS — The Black Church Coalition is calling for accountability and transparency from IMPD after police say a man was shot and killed after he ran from a traffic stop Thursday morning.
Police said they did find a gun near 49-year-old Gary Harrell, who was shot by an officer Thursday, but they have not yet said what exactly led to the police officer firing at Harrell.
"This is not an individual police officer issue, right? I know a lot of good police officers," said Pastor Darrell L. Brooks, with the Black Church Coalition. "We have a very good police department, but if police officers continue to not follow protocol and there's no consequence for it, that's a leadership issue."
Police said the investigation into the shooting is just getting started.
"We owe it to our community, we owe it to the family of the person that lost his life today and we owe it to our officer to complete a thorough investigation and ensure that we are transparent through that process," IMPD Deputy Chief Michael Wolley said.
Brooks said he's heard a lot of frustration since the shooting.
"From what I understand, there were some folks in the community who say the individual may have had a gun, but he was not brandishing his gun and he was shot, as he was fleeing, in the back," Brooks said. "That's problematic."
He said the public deserves answers now.
"I believe if an officer knows the procedures and protocols and they don't follow it, that's not a skill issue, that's a will issue, and that should be handled by leadership," Brooks said.
IMPD tells 13News as of Friday afternoon, they have no new information to share about this investigation.