In the early morning hours of May 27, 2022, a domestic dispute between Dashawn Roscoe, a 41-year-old Black male, and his partner, Tonika Miller, at the Carriage House East Apartments in Indianapolis, Indiana, ended in his tragic death. The couple, who had been in a relationship for approximately five years and shared two young children, had left their children unattended in their apartment to go to a nearby playground.
Following an argument, Miller returned to the apartment and then
drove a vehicle to where Roscoe was. Surveillance footage captured a physical altercation between the two, during which Miller, who was holding a 9-millimeter handgun registered in her name, struck Roscoe. The firearm discharged, inflicting a fatal gunshot wound to Roscoe's head. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered Miller attempting to render aid to Roscoe. A single shell casing was found next to his body, and an autopsy later confirmed the cause of death.
Initially, Miller claimed the shooting was accidental, stating she had brought the gun for protection and it went off during the struggle. However, the evidence from the surveillance video contradicted her account of the events. As a result, Tonika Miller was arrested and faced charges of reckless homicide and two counts of neglect of a dependent for leaving their children, a 3-year-old and a 9-month-old, alone.
In December 2023, Tonika Miller accepted a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to the charge of reckless homicide. As part of the plea deal, the two counts of neglect of a dependent were dismissed. She was subsequently sentenced to one year in prison, which was to be followed by three years of home detention.
