On the afternoon of April 9, 2022, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to a report of a person down in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood on the city’s north side. Upon arriving at the scene in an alley near the 3900 block of Byram Avenue, close to 38th and Meridian Street, they discovered a male victim suffering from apparent trauma.
Emergency medical personnel transported the individual to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The Marion County Coroner’s Office later ruled the death a homicide resulting from a gunshot wound.
The victim was identified as 56-year-old Sebastian Reyes. Known to his friends and family by the nickname 'Terry' or his Muslim name 'Tariq,' Reyes was a father of six and a grandfather of six who had moved to Indianapolis from Brooklyn, New York. Those who knew him described him as a tough yet charismatic and meticulous man who worked in labor and was devoted to his faith, having attended an Islamic school in Indianapolis. His family remembered him as a loving and forgiving figure with a 'heart of gold,' and his sudden death left his community and relatives, some of whom were hundreds of miles away, in a state of shock and mourning.
As of the latest available updates, the investigation into the killing remains open and active, with no arrests made or suspects publicly named by authorities. Detectives have not released specific information regarding a motive or a description of a potential shooter. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department continues to urge anyone with information about the incident to contact homicide detectives or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers, as the case stands unsolved.
