In the quiet of a Wednesday evening in Indianapolis, on January 14, 2026, the life of 21-year-old Cierra Marie Gingles was tragically cut short. The incident unfolded around 8:30 p.m. in the 5000 block of Shelby Street, where a family disturbance escalated into a fatal shooting.
According to court documents, the conflict began with an argument between Gingles' boyfriend and his stepbrother, Gary Gatewood.
The boyfriend reported hearing his stepbrother's dog screaming from Gatewood's room. After banging on the wall and telling Gatewood to stop harming the animal, the two men began to fight. The altercation took a deadly turn when Gatewood allegedly retrieved a gun from his bedroom and opened fire.
Gingles was in her boyfriend's room at the time the shooting began. While her boyfriend managed to escape the house and hide in a nearby backyard, Gingles was struck by the gunfire. When police arrived, they found her inside the residence with a fatal gunshot wound. Another man who was also in the house was unharmed.
Following the incident, Gary Gatewood reportedly went to a restaurant about a mile away and asked an employee to call the police, stating that he had done something at his home and needed to be arrested. He was taken into custody without incident. The day after the shooting, an IMPD spokesperson confirmed Gatewood's arrest. On January 19, he was formally charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder. His initial court hearing was scheduled for January 20.
