In the early afternoon of October 13, 2021, a chaotic scene unfolded in East Chicago, Indiana, leading to the death of 52-year-old Christopher Burks. The incident began around 12:23 p.m. when police were dispatched to the 1200 block of West 149th Street after a report of a vehicle crashing into a house. Upon arrival, officers found a silver Chevy Impala had struck the front porch of a residence.
The driver, 43-year-old Nalisha Martin, was discovered unconscious inside the vehicle and was later pronounced dead at a hospital in the Chicago area.
Across the street from the crash, authorities found Christopher Burks lying in a pool of blood. He was unresponsive and was also transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. As the investigation at the scene was underway, police received a report of a third gunshot victim nearby on the 4800 block of Walsh Avenue. This individual was identified as 19-year-old Gary Shanklin Jr. of East Chicago. He was conscious but uncooperative with the officers who found him. Shanklin was taken to a Chicago hospital in serious but stable condition.
Through their investigation, the East Chicago Police Criminal Investigation Division identified Gary Shanklin Jr. as the suspect responsible for the deaths of both Christopher Burks and Nalisha Martin. Five days after the incident, on October 18, 2021, prosecutors filed two counts of felony murder against Shanklin. Authorities considered him armed and dangerous and sought the public's help in locating him following his release from the hospital. Shanklin was known to frequent the same area where he was found wounded.
