In the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood of Indianapolis, a gathering of family and friends to mourn a loss turned into the scene of another tragedy on September 19, 2015. Ten-year-old Deshawn Swanson, a male, was outside his grandmother's home where people had come together for a memorial service for an elderly family friend. The young boy, known as 'Little Man,' was a fourth-grader who loved football and had dreams of becoming a basketball player.
The somber atmosphere was shattered when
a newer model, silver or gray vehicle with tinted windows drove by the residence on Graceland Avenue. Passengers in both the front and rear seats of the car opened fire on the house and the people gathered outside. In the chaos of the drive-by shooting, four people were struck by gunfire. One of them was Deshawn, who was critically injured and rushed to IU Health Riley Hospital for Children, where he later died.
In the years following the shooting, the case has remained unsolved, leaving a painful void for his family and community. Investigators believe the shooting was a targeted attack, but that Deshawn was not the intended victim. Despite pleas for witnesses to come forward, fear of retaliation has hampered the investigation. Law enforcement officials and community advocates have expressed their belief that people within the neighborhood have knowledge of who was in the car that day, but have been reluctant to speak out.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department continues to investigate the homicide, and in 2020, the FBI joined the effort as part of a federal initiative to combat violent crime called Operation Legend. A reward of up to $25,000 has been offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Deshawn Swanson's murder. However, no arrests have been made, and the identity of the suspect or suspects remains unknown to the public. His family continues to hold vigils and make public appeals, hoping that someone will come forward with the information needed to bring them a measure of closure.
