On the evening of April 15, 2025, 18-year-old Malachi May was fatally shot while sitting in his truck at a gas station on the east side of Indianapolis, near the intersection of East 34th Street and North Emerson Avenue. A male, May was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and died from his injuries two days later, on April 17, 2025.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:30 p.m.
when officers responded to an incomplete 911 call and found May inside his truck with a gunshot wound. Investigators determined that May was parked in the gas station lot when he was approached by two individuals. Surveillance video from the station showed the two suspects exiting the store and engaging in a conversation with May before one of them pulled out a gun and shot him at point-blank range through an open window. After the shooting, May's truck accelerated, crossed the street, and crashed into a retaining wall.
Detectives identified a 17-year-old, Sir Braylon Howell, as the primary suspect. The investigation was aided by text messages found on May's phone and information provided by May's family members who had been in contact with a person that claimed to have given May a gun to sell. This individual also provided images of the suspects. Investigators were further able to track down Howell after his previously deactivated Instagram account became active again. Police located Howell at a nearby home where they found a jacket matching the one worn by a suspect in the surveillance video. Howell's fingerprints also matched those found on the driver's side window of May's truck.
Howell was arrested and charged as an adult with two counts of murder, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, and dangerous possession of a firearm. In October, Howell entered into a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to murder. On November 7, 2025, he was sentenced to serve 45 years in prison for the murder of Malachi May.
