INDIANAPOLIS–A murder charge has been filed against Shamar Duncan, of Indianapolis, for the shooting death of Simmie Poetsema, 26, a commando from the Netherlands, who was killed in downtown Indianapolis early Saturday morning.
Duncan is also charged with two counts of attempted murder, accused of shooting two more members of the Dutch military.
The men were in Indiana for training, and had come to Indianapolis for the weekend.
LINK: The Charging document
The shooting happened after a verbal and physical fight that at first did not include a gun. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in charging documents that Duncan went to a truck and got a gun, then shot the three men.
When interviewing one of the soldiers, who had retreated into the lobby of the Hampton Inn, just south of Monument Circle after being shot, detectives learned that during the fight one of the Dutch soldiers knocked out one of the perps with a single punch. He told the police he and the others were trying to get away and that they didn’t want a fight.
LISTEN: The press conference
Witnesses said a couple of minutes after the fight the truck came by and several shots were fired from it.
IMPD Deputy Chief Kendale Adams said nine or ten people were involved in the incident. No one but Duncan has been charged thus far.
“It’s a combination of detective work, technology and eyewitness accounts that led us towards the individuals involved,” said Adams at a joint press conference Thursday with Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears. He indicated that more charges could be coming.
“We’re evaluating everybody’s conduct and what did people know and when did they know it and what was their conduct after the fact,” said Mears. “I hope no one interprets this as the end of the investigation or that other charges against other individuals will not be filed in the future.”
Adas said police used cameras, license plate readers and other “covert technology” to find out who was responsible.
“We don’t want to reveal everything that we use as these investigations unfold because obviously there are other shootings out there that we need to use these technologies,” he said.
Police and Mayor Joe Hogsett have been answering questions about safety downtown not only to Indianapolis, but to media in Europe. One of the Dutch soldiers has already returned home.
