On the night of November 22, 2023, 27-year-old Makayla Rae Lockhart was at her home in the Lawrence neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana. Just before 11:00 p.m., she and her family were winding down for the evening, preparing for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Makayla had recently purchased a home and a silver Hyundai, which was parked in her driveway in the 4600 block of Normal Avenue.
The quiet of the evening was disrupted when an alert or noise from outside drew attention to her vehicle, prompting Makayla and her brother to go outside to investigate.
Upon exiting the residence, they discovered an attempted theft of her car in progress. Her brother reportedly chased one individual away from the property. As they inspected the vehicle for damage, the situation escalated violently. Unknown assailants, described by witnesses as two males dressed in black, fired shots. Makayla was struck by the gunfire and fell to the ground in her driveway. First responders arrived shortly after the call was placed, but despite their efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Lawrence Police Department launched an investigation, canvassing the area for surveillance footage and potential witnesses. They noted that the suspects fled the scene in a vehicle, heading eastbound on 46th Street toward North Franklin Road. Detectives investigated whether the suspects were part of a group responsible for other vehicle thefts in the area that night. As of early 2024, no specific arrests had been publicly announced in connection with Makayla's death, and police continued to ask the community for tips, with Crime Stoppers offering a reward for information leading to the identification of the shooters.
The tragedy was compounded for Makayla's mother, Jerry Radcliffe, who had previously lost her son and Makayla's older brother, Justin White, to gun violence in January 2021. Unlike Makayla's open case, Justin's murder resulted in the arrest and conviction of two men, Tavon Macklin and John Ziegler, who were sentenced to lengthy prison terms. The family, now grieving the loss of a second child, has publicly pleaded for anyone with knowledge of the events on that Thanksgiving Eve to come forward and help bring Makayla's killers to justice.
