In the summer of 2022, a sense of disquiet settled over a neighborhood in East Chicago, Indiana, following a burst of gunfire that echoed through the night. On the evening of July 23rd, while attending to another call on Melville Avenue, police officers were startled by the sound of approximately eight gunshots ringing out from the nearby 4800 block of Alexander Avenue. Their immediate response led them to a grim discovery.
Upon arriving at the scene, the officers found a man, later identified as 27-year-old Shaquille K. Russell, lying in the road with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was breathing slowly and unresponsive. Emergency medics were quickly on the scene and transported him to St. Catherine Hospital for urgent medical attention. Despite their efforts, Shaquille Russell succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the hospital.
The East Chicago Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division launched a homicide investigation into the shooting. Their efforts led to a significant breakthrough nearly a month later. On August 22, 2022, a suspect was formally charged in connection with the death of Shaquille Russell. The individual, identified as 34-year-old Glenn C. Keller Jr., was charged with one count of Level 1 Felony Murder.
It was revealed that Keller had been taken into custody a few days prior, on August 19th, on an unrelated warrant and a drug charge. Following the murder charge, he remained in custody at the Lake County Jail. The investigation had successfully moved from a tragic shooting on a summer night to the formal accusation of a suspect, bringing the case into the realm of the criminal justice system.
