An Indianapolis man is facing charges after he fired roughly 17 shots at a police officer’s residence and marked patrol car while screaming anti-police obscenities, police said.
The officer had just completed an overnight shift and returned home when he heard the gunfire about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said. The officer and his family were inside the home at the time of the attack, but no one was injured, Guns.com reported.
Witnesses recalled seeing a man walking in the neighborhood earlier wearing a T-shirt that said “Black Lives Matter” on one side and obscenities directed at police on the other, a local CBS News affiliate reported.
Police believe that man was 27-year-old parolee March Eugene Ratney, who lives near the officer, police said. A nearby surveillance camera captured images of a fleeing vehicle shortly after the shooting. Mr. Ratney was apprehended less than an hour later. He denied the shooting to investigators, and police concluded the interview after Mr. Ratney reportedly became irate and urinated in the interview room. Charges are forthcoming.
A local Fox News affiliate reported that the targeted officer had arrested Mr. Ratney on a gun charge several years ago.
Witnesses told police that Mr. Ratney was screaming anti-police obscenities as he shot at the officer’s home, Guns.com reported.
IMPD Chief Troy Riggs confirmed during a press conference Tuesday that Mr. Ratney was wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt.
“Because this individual is wearing a T-shirt doesn’t mean he represents everyone that’s associated with that organization,” Chief Riggs said. “And I want to be clear: We cannot let the actions of one individual represent an entire group of citizens that utilized their First Amendment rights peacefully over the weekend in the protests here in Indianapolis.
“However, I would also say to any organization that protests the police department to not let the actions of a few police officers tarnish the good, dedicated and honorable work of our IMPD officers,” he added.
The shooting follows Thursday’s targeted killings of five police officers during a Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas, which was called in response to the police-shooting deaths of two black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered during a Black Lives Matter rally in Indianapolis Saturday and applauded the protection of IMPD officers after the march, CBS News reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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