On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, December 24, 2021, a violent incident unfolded in the streets of Michigan City, Indiana, disrupting the holiday calm. Around 3:39 p.m., officers from the Michigan City Police Department were alerted to the sound of gunfire in the vicinity of 10th and Wabash Streets. As units began to respond to the area, dispatchers received additional reports of a person down near West 11th Street and Wabash Street.
Upon arrival, first responders discovered a male subject lying on the sidewalk on the west side of the street.
The victim was identified as London Lamonte Long, a 20-year-old African American man from Michigan City. Emergency personnel from LaPorte County EMS and the Michigan City Fire Department attempted to render aid, but he had suffered a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators, including detectives from the Michigan City Police and the Indiana State Police, immediately began processing evidence and interviewing witnesses to piece together the events that led to the shooting.
In the weeks following the homicide, police made significant breakthroughs in the case. On January 7, 2022, authorities located and arrested 24-year-old Mark Anthony Wright Jr. in connection with the death. Prosecutors filed formal charges against him in LaPorte County Superior Court #1, which included one count of murder and a misdemeanor count for carrying a handgun without a license. At the time of his arrest, Wright was ordered held on a cash bond as the legal process commenced.
The investigation continued to yield results, leading to a second arrest the following month. On February 14, 2022, police announced that 17-year-old Shamar Rashead Williams had been taken into custody. Despite his age, Williams was waived to adult court and charged with murder and a Level 1 felony count of attempted murder. He was subsequently held on a $1 million cash bond. Law enforcement officials publicly thanked the community and the local prosecutor's office for their assistance in bringing the suspects to justice.
