Wrongful death lawsuit filed in 2023 Indianapolis police shooting

A year after Darcel Edwards was shot and later died by an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer, Edwards’ estate filed a lawsuit against the city of Indianapolis and the officer who shot him.

The lawsuit filed by Edwards’ mother, Roselyn Edwards Rodger, alleges IMPD officer Gunnar Gossett lacked reasonable probable cause. Shooting Edwards on October 24, 2023.

He also alleges that Indianapolis failed to give Gossett adequate training to prevent him from shooting Edwards and that the city tampered with physical evidence that could have been relevant to the investigation of the shooting.

The estate requests that its case be heard by a jury.

What led to Darcel Edwards’ death in Indianapolis?

On October 24, 2023, IMPD officers heard shots fired in the area. East 25th Street and Dr. Andrew J. Brown BoulevardIMPD Deputy Chief Kendale Adams said he noticed a vehicle speeding away near Douglass Park around 4:15 a.m.

An officer then conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, at which point Edwards exited his car and explained to the officer that his vehicle had been struck by another car, according to court documents.

Edwards then fled in his vehicle. The IMPD officer began following Edwards before losing track of him, according to court documents.

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IMPD officers soon located Edwards’ vehicle, which had crashed into a tree near East 25th Street and Columbia Avenue, and watched as Edwards climbed a tree in a nearby backyard.

While in the tree, Edwards told officers he was having an epileptic seizure and asked them to call his mother and doctor. According to body camera footage released by IMPD, officers told him paramedics would intervene if he came down from the tree, but he refused until paramedics arrived.

During this interaction, officers told him to stop reaching into his pockets and show them his hands. Gossett threatened to shoot Edwards if he did not comply.

“If you do that again, you’re going to get shot,” an officer is heard saying in parts of the body camera footage.

Edwards was heard three times telling officers to shoot him.

“Kill me,” he said.

“No,” the officers replied.

“Then I’m going to my pocket, kill me,” Edwards said. Officer Gossett then discharged his firearm, shooting him.

Edwards was transported to the hospital in critical but stable condition. He died two days later. No officers were injured.

According to court documents, police did not find a gun after searching the area.

Excessive force and wrongful death claim in Edwards’ estate

The lawsuit alleges that Gossett had no reasonable cause to believe Edwards was an immediate threat to himself and his fellow officers and that he shot a person unrelated to any ongoing crime.

It also alleges that Gossett conducted an unreasonable seizure and used excessive force, which violated Edwards’ 4th and 14th Amendment rights.

Although IMPD conducted an investigation into the shooting and concluded that Gossett “acted lawfully and within the limits of his duties,” Edwards’ estate believes his death was not justified and is suing Gossett individually.

The lawsuit also alleges that IMPD failed to ensure that Gossett was properly trained, supervised and monitored for his actions as an officer.

He also claims the city tampered with evidence in the case because it removed the tree where Edwards was shot by police within 24 hours of the incident, according to the lawsuit.

The estate hopes to prosecute Gossett for Edwards’ death and have the city award compensatory damages and punitive damages to the estate for Edwards’ death.

Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at [email protected] or follow him at X @1NoePadilla. Jake Allen contributed to this reporting; Contact him at [email protected].