On a summer evening in Indianapolis, a family disagreement spiraled into a tragedy that claimed the life of Vincent Lovett Clifton Jr., a 38-year-old Black male. The incident unfolded on July 13, 2022, in the 1900 block of Wallace Avenue, just west of Emerson Avenue. Clifton, along with his cousin and other family members, had gone to a home where a dispute escalated into a physical altercation on the front porch.
With more than 20 people present, the chaotic scene turned deadly when a man began shooting from the side of the house into the crowd.
Witnesses identified the shooter as Zech Thomsen. During the brawl, as two men reportedly fought for a gun, Thomsen is said to have pulled out his own firearm and fired repeatedly between two buildings. Clifton was fatally shot, and his cousin was also seriously injured, having been shot in the hand, foot, and knee while trying to dodge the gunfire. Some witnesses noted that Thomsen, who they believed suffered from PTSD from a previous shooting, had no apparent reason for his actions. After the shooting, Thomsen allegedly returned home and bragged about having shot two people.
The investigation into Clifton's murder led police to Thomsen, who was already in jail for a separate, gruesome animal cruelty case that occurred less than a month after the shooting. Initially, Thomsen denied any involvement in the July shooting. However, detectives connected him to the murder through witness descriptions and records of people who had recently been shot in the area. An accomplice in the animal cruelty case confirmed to investigators that Thomsen was carrying a gun on the day of Clifton's death. On December 28, 2022, Zech Thomsen was officially charged with the murder of Vincent Lovett Clifton Jr. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to serve 27 years in prison for the murder. Following that sentence, he is to serve an additional two and a half years for the brutal killing of a dog he had adopted just days before.
