In the early morning hours of November 22, 2020, a shooting at the Budget 8 Inn on Indianapolis's east side tragically cut short the life of 29-year-old Timothy Bixler. A male, Bixler was discovered by police officers in a second-floor room of the motel located on East 21st Street near Shadeland Avenue after they responded to a report of shots fired shortly before 6 a.m.
Emergency services transported Bixler to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition.
Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival. The investigation into his death was swiftly launched by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Within a couple of days, detectives made an arrest in connection with the fatal shooting. On November 24, 2020, 22-year-old Richard Johnson was taken into custody and faced a preliminary charge of murder. Prior to the arrest, investigators had released a surveillance image showing two persons of interest, though it remains unclear if this directly led to identifying Johnson as the suspect.
While an arrest was made, a motive for the shooting was not publicly disclosed by detectives. Details regarding the legal proceedings that followed Richard Johnson's arrest, including any trial, conviction, or sentencing, are not available in the public record. Information concerning the second person of interest seen in the surveillance footage has also not been released.
