On August 17, 2015, law enforcement officers in Indianapolis, Indiana, initiated a pursuit following reports of a robbery at a local restaurant on the city's North Side. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department had identified a vehicle believed to be fleeing the scene of the crime and engaged in a chase to apprehend the individuals inside. The situation escalated as the suspect vehicle navigated through the streets, eventually coming to a halt as officers closed in on the location.
As the pursuit concluded and police moved toward the stopped vehicle to take the occupants into custody, a gunshot was heard from inside the car. Officers discovered that one of the passengers, identified as Michael Henderson, a 21-year-old Black male, had sustained a gunshot wound. Despite the presence of first responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities stated that the shooting occurred as officers were approaching the vehicle to effectuate an arrest.
The subsequent investigation by the Marion County Coroner’s Office involved an autopsy which preliminarily ruled the death as a suicide, determining that the fatal wound was self-inflicted. Henderson had been considered a suspect in the armed robbery that precipitated the chase. While police reports indicated that multiple individuals were involved in the initial robbery, the immediate focus of the public release remained on the standoff and the sudden death of the young man inside the getaway vehicle.
