INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (August 11, 2015) – Tanya Bell, President of Indiana Black Expo, and Dr. Michael Twyman, Executive Director of Your Life Matters, issued a joint statement Tuesday on the shooting death of Andre Green.
Our prayers and condolences are with the family of 15-year old Andre Green and the entire Indianapolis community at this difficult time. We understand that IMPD is currently investigating the shooting. As they continue to gather evidence and interview prospective witnesses, we urge anyone that has information or video that captured what occurred to come forward. Andre Green, his family and the police officers involved deserve a thorough investigation, one leading to a just result, and we understand it will not be completed overnight. We will refrain from drawing any conclusions until the investigation is completed.
As our community heals and gains a better understanding of the timeline of events that led to this tragic incident, we must continue to have honest dialogue about holistic approaches aimed at preserving and maximizing human life – particularly the lives of our Black men. We cannot lose another young man in this manner without it interrupting our conscious. We reinforce our commitment to work alongside the community to move forward strategies to improve the quality of life for all Indianapolis residents.
Lastly, we must follow the lead of other police departments and require that all members of IMPD wear body cameras. Having a video of all police officer shootings will provide more transparency for our community. Body cams are also known to reduce officer shootings and deter officers from inappropriate conduct. We ask that Mayor Greg Ballard and the Marion County City County Council strongly consider including a line item in the proposed 2015 budget to procure body cameras for our police officers.
Green was shot and killed in a police action shooting on the city’s northeast side late Sunday night.
According to police, there is no dash cam or body cam video of the incident.
A council CFO says he has seen a statement from Mayor Ballard’s office that they will put body cameras in the IMPD budget to match potential federal grant for body cameras.
