On a spring evening in Indianapolis, a burst of gunfire shattered the ordinary rhythm of life at a gas station on North Mitthoeffer Road, leaving two young men dead. One of the victims was Ezekiel Watkins, an 18-year-old male, who, along with 23-year-old Frederick Small, was fatally wounded on May 21, 2021. Their lives were cut short in what would be described as an act of vengeful gun violence.
The incident prompted an immediate response from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, who arrived to find both Watkins and Small suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the double homicide relied heavily on security footage from the gas station, which captured the chilling sequence of events. The video showed two men, later identified as Kelyn Harris and William Glasper III, arriving at the gas station and waiting inside. Their attention was reportedly fixed on the entrance. When Watkins and Small arrived in their vehicle and entered the station, Harris, who had concealed himself in an aisle, approached them and opened fire, shooting them multiple times. Following the shooting, Harris and Glasper fled the scene in their vehicle. The clarity of the surveillance video was crucial for detectives in identifying the suspects.
The investigation led to the arrest of Kelyn Harris, who was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, and his accomplice, 20-year-old William Glasper III. Due to the severity of the crime, Harris was charged as an adult with two counts of murder. In July 2023, following a two-day trial, Kelyn Harris was convicted on both counts. He was subsequently sentenced to 55 years in the Indiana Department of Correction for the murders of Ezekiel Watkins and Frederick Small. His accomplice, William Glasper III, pleaded guilty in March to assisting a criminal and carrying a handgun without a license.
