On a cold December evening in Indianapolis, 18-year-old Ariel Marie Calhoun was walking to a gas station on the city's northeast side, just a few blocks from the home she shared with her mother. It was Sunday, December 3, 2023, and the sound of gunshots suddenly pierced the night air. Her mother, Crystal Conner, heard the shots and felt a sense of dread, a gut feeling that something was terribly wrong with her daughter.
Rushing to the scene, her worst fears were realized when she discovered that her daughter was the victim of the shooting.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the 7300 block of Crest Lane, near Hague Road and East 75th Street, where they found Ariel unresponsive in the road with gunshot injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her mother believes Ariel was being chased and was running home to her when she was shot. The Marion County Coroner's Office later determined her death to be a homicide. Ariel was described by her family as a sweet and hardworking young woman who was incredibly smart, having graduated high school at the age of 16. She had a passion for working on cars and dreamed of a future in the automotive industry.
The investigation into the female's death led detectives to identify 19-year-old Tyrese Rendell of Indianapolis as a suspect. Court documents revealed that the day after the shooting, a 911 dispatcher received text messages from someone relaying information about the incident. Investigators also discovered text messages between a number associated with Rendell and a number linked to Calhoun. It is believed the shooting stemmed from a gun sale that turned violent, with evidence suggesting Calhoun met with Rendell to sell him a gun. Surveillance footage showed Calhoun walking up to Rendell's black SUV, and moments later, she was shot in the back.
On Friday, February 7, 2025, a warrant was issued for Tyrese Rendell's arrest on charges of murder and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. He was taken into custody on Monday, February 10, 2025. In the wake of her daughter's death, Ariel's mother pleaded for an end to violence and asked the community to pray for her daughter's killer rather than seek retaliation. A vigil was held at Castleton United Methodist Church where family, friends, and community members gathered to remember the young life that had been cut short.
