Anderson Police Officer Charged with Criminal Recklessness

Off-Duty Anderson Police Officer Charged with Criminal Recklessness

INDIANAPOLIS–An off-duty officer with the Anderson Police Department is facing criminal recklessness charges.

On Friday, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced that Officer Maurice Magee has been charged with two counts of criminal recklessness. He’s accused of firing his gun off in an Indianapolis neighborhood that put people’s lives in danger back on May 19.

The incident in question happened on Woodruff Place Drive near Arsenal Tech High School around 6:30 that morning. Magee had found out that his car had been stolen and was tracking it with an AirTag. Mears says Magee went after the people he believed responsible for stealing his vehicle.

“During that vehicle pursuit, there was a crash. In addition to that crash, gunshots were exchanged between two different parties. There were a number of people on Woodruff Place who were put in unnecessary danger, in our view, because of the actions that took place on that day,” said Mears.

Mears says several people were in the area that could have been seriously injured.

“One of the bullets ended up in a child’s bedroom. I really have to give a lot of credit to the people of Woodruff Place because they came forward with not only eyewitness testimony, but video camera evidence that helped us put together a timeline of how the events took place,” said Mears.

As for the people who may have stolen Magee’s vehicle, no suspects have been found and no arrests have been made.

Mears says they were able to figure out that Magee fired shots by using ballistic comparisons between the firearms collected and the shell casings found at the scene.

Magee could face anywhere between 1 and 6 years in prison.

Mears issues a warning if anyone is in a situation similar to Magee’s.

“Don’t try to take matters into your own hands. Call law enforcement and remember that they are best equipped to deal with these situations,” said Mears.

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