Lance Little, a 34-year-old Black man from Indianapolis, Indiana, was a father to three young daughters who was remembered by his family as vibrant, funny, and "the life of the party." His niece described him as a careful person who always made her smile. His loved ones, who gathered from across the country to mourn him, called his death a senseless act that left them heartbroken.
After his passing, his eldest daughter wrote a letter to him that ended with the words, "Long live Lance."
On the afternoon of May 7, 2024, around 2:15 p.m., Little was shot and killed on the city’s north side. According to court documents based on witness testimony, the incident began near the intersection of West 79th Street and Harcourt Road when a teenager pushed Little off a sidewalk and into the street. As Little backed away into the road, the teen pulled a handgun from his waistband and shot him in the head. When officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department arrived, they found Little lying in the street. He died at the scene.
Witnesses told investigators they saw a thin young man in a red hoodie run toward the nearby Reflection Apartments after the shooting. Police, including SWAT officers, surrounded an apartment on Welchwood Circle and ordered the residents to come out. A 16-year-old named Dawensky Zamor emerged from the unit wearing plaid shorts and a white T-shirt. Officers noted what appeared to be blood on his leg, toe, and sandals.
During a search of the apartment, detectives found a 9mm handgun and a red hooded sweatshirt hidden inside the headboard of Zamor’s bed. They also discovered a spent shell casing on his bedroom floor. Zamor was arrested, and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office charged him as an adult with murder.
In August 2026, a jury found Dawensky Zamor guilty of murder following a three-day trial. The following month, Marion Superior Court Judge Angela Dow Davis sentenced Zamor, then 18, to 52 years in prison, with two years suspended to probation. He is expected to serve 50 years. Prosecutor Ryan Mears called the case a "heartbreaking reminder of what can happen when young people have access to firearms and violence becomes the answer to conflict." As of September 2026, the case was closed.
