On a spring evening in May 2021, the life of 23-year-old Frederick Leon Small was tragically cut short in a burst of gunfire inside a Phillips 66 gas station on the northeast side of Indianapolis. The incident, which also claimed the life of 18-year-old Ezekiel Watkins and left a third man injured, unfolded at the intersection of 38th and Mitthoeffer.
The entire violent episode was captured by the gas station's surveillance cameras, providing a chilling and clear account of the events that transpired.
The footage showed two individuals, later identified as 17-year-old Kellen Harris and 20-year-old William Glasper III, arriving at the gas station and loitering inside, their attention fixed on the entrance. When Small and Watkins arrived in their vehicle and entered the establishment, an exchange of words occurred between the two groups. Harris was then seen hiding in an aisle before approaching Small and Watkins and opening fire, unleashing a multitude of shots. In the ensuing chaos, Harris and Glasper fled the scene in a getaway car. The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear from court records, but the brazen act of violence left a community shaken and two families mourning the loss of their loved ones.
The investigation into the double homicide moved swiftly, aided by witness testimony and the crucial surveillance footage. Kellen Harris was identified as the shooter and was subsequently arrested. Due to the severity of the crime, the 17-year-old was charged as an adult with two counts of murder. His alleged accomplice, William Glasper III, was also apprehended and faced a charge of assisting a criminal for his role in driving the getaway vehicle. Harris was held without bond pending his trial.
In July, following a two-day court trial, Kelyn Harris was convicted on two counts of murder for the deaths of Frederick Small and Ezekiel Watkins. In August 2023, he was sentenced to 55 years in the Indiana Department of Correction. Earlier, in March, William Glasper III pleaded guilty to Assisting a Criminal, a Level 5 Felony, and Carrying a Handgun Without a License, a Class A Misdemeanor. His plea brought a close to the legal proceedings, but for the families of Frederick Leon Small and Ezekiel Watkins, the consequences of that violent night in May would linger forever.
