INDIANAPOLIS — The family of a man who was shot and killed by an Indianapolis Metro Police officer in 2023 is suing the city and the officer who killed him.
Darcel Edwards was shot on Oct. 24, 2023, in the 2500 block of Columbia Avenue, near East 25th Street and Dr. Andrew J. Brown Avenue.
His family is suing the city and the officer who killed him for alleged excessive force, wrongful death and tampering with evidence.
In the lawsuit, lawyers for the family say Edwards was shot in the back and was not a threat to the officers.
They also say that within days of the deadly shooting, the tree Edwards was in had been chopped down. The lawsuit calls this tampering with evidence.
(Warning: this video contains graphic content)
Police released edited body camera video
Police said they saw Edwards speeding after someone reported shots fired near East 25th Street and Park Avenue. In body camera video, you can see Edwards get out of his car with his hands up. He tells police another car hit his.
Officers tell Edwards not to get back in his car, but he does and leaves. That's when Edwards crashes near the tree where he was ultimately shot.
Eventually, they find him in the tree using a flashlight.
The video then cuts to bodycam video from IMPD Officer Gunnar Gossett, which depicts Edwards telling police from his vantage point in the tree that he has epilepsy and cannot get down. Edwards can also be heard requesting that officers call his mother and doctor before coming down from the tree. Gossett can also be heard instructing another officer to get behind cover.
Edwards can then be heard denying the officer's request to come down from the tree. This exchange continues multiple times over the course of more than a minute.
"You got up there, get yourself down," one officer can be heard telling Edwards in the footage.
Responding officers can be heard assuring Edwards a medic would be on hand when he comes down from the tree.
"I'm coming down, but I feel like I'm going through a seize, man," Edwards can be heard saying in the bodycam video.
"Well, you might not want to do it up there," an officer responds to one of Edwards' multiple requests for help.
The exchange continues like that, with Edwards saying he will wait until the medic comes before coming down and IMPD officers saying he should come down.
Edwards then seemingly expresses confusion about the kind of weapon being pointed in his direction, telling officers to hit him with the taser. Gossett confirmed to Edwards he was holding a pistol, at which point, Edwards responded, "Whatever it is."
Gossett can be heard telling Edwards he would need to have a reason to shoot him, so don't give him one. Officers also expressed disbelief in Edwards' claim that he was unarmed and was not threatening them.
As Edwards once again claims he does not have anything on him, multiple officers can be heard yelling, "No, stop!" Edwards was further instructed to not reach in his pocket.
"If you reach for something again, you will be shot," Gossett can be heard saying.
At that point, Edwards asks officers to end his life. Multiple officers shout they will not, in response.
Officers once again scream for Edwards to not reach before two shots can be heard. Police are then seen running toward where Edwards can be seen lying, apparently unresponsive. Officers can be seen giving medical aid to Edwards.
Edwards was transported to Methodist Hospital in critical condition and died two days later.
IMPD said they found a gun holster in Edwards' waistband, but did not locate a firearm in the area after an "exhaustive" search.
The incident is being investigated by IMPD's Critical Incident Response Team, according to IMPD. It will also be reviewed by the Use of Force Board and Marion County Prosecutor's Office.