In the late afternoon of September 11, 2023, a dispute over a small debt on the far east side of Indianapolis turned fatal, claiming the life of 20-year-old Keontae Imauni Walls. Just before 6 p.m., Walls, a male, was with a juvenile in a blue vehicle when they encountered Michael Owens. Walls stopped the car to ask Owens for $75 that he was owed. In response, Owens reportedly said, 'I got your money right here,' before pulling out a handgun and shooting Walls.
After being shot in the
1000 block of Montery Road, near East 42nd Street and North Mitthoefer Road, the gravely wounded Walls was driven about a mile away to an apartment complex in the 10100 block of John Jay Drive. It was there, in a parking lot, that officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department found him. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene from gunshot injuries. Initially, police were called to the Montery Road location where they discovered several shell casings but no victim.
The investigation quickly pointed to Michael Owens as the suspect. A witness who saw the shooting from their porch later identified Owens to detectives through his Facebook account, stating they saw him holding a gun, shooting toward the blue vehicle, and then fleeing the scene. The juvenile who was with Walls at the time of the shooting also provided a statement to the police about the events that transpired over the $75 debt. Owens was later located and arrested in Louisville, Kentucky.
Following his arrest, Michael Owens was charged with the murder of Keontae Walls. After a jury deliberation of 90 minutes, he was found guilty. A judge subsequently sentenced Owens to 60 years in the Indiana Department of Correction for his role in the shooting. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears commented on the tragedy, stating, 'Far too often we see these types of small disagreements lead to deadly shootings. What occurred that day is simply unacceptable, no amount money is worth taking a life over.'
