On a summer evening in Indianapolis, Indiana, the life of 34-year-old Joshua Dyer was cut short in a chaotic and violent encounter with law enforcement. On June 23, 2015, Dyer was a passenger in a 2007 Nissan Maxima driven by Matthew Cole. The incident began when an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer, Timothy Elliott, observed the Maxima speeding on an access road in Washington Park.
Officer Elliott attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Cole fled, sparking a high-speed chase.
The pursuit tore through the city's Northeastside, with the Nissan weaving into oncoming traffic, narrowly avoiding collisions, and crashing through several fences before finally coming to a stop in an alley near East 38th Street and North Tacoma Avenue. Officers Elliott and Derik Harper approached the disabled vehicle, issuing commands for the occupants to show their hands and exit the car. Instead of surrendering, Cole put the car in reverse and accelerated toward the officers. In the ensuing moments, Officer Harper discharged his weapon, firing a single shot into the vehicle. The bullet struck Joshua Dyer in the head, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, Matthew Cole, was taken into custody. A search of his vehicle uncovered a significant amount of contraband, including three handguns, three knives, 38 hypodermic needles, and drug paraphernalia. Items in the car later tested positive for heroin and methamphetamine. Cole was subsequently charged with a litany of offenses, including resisting law enforcement, possession of an altered handgun, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a narcotic drug, carrying a handgun without a license, and possession of paraphernalia. In February 2017, the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld his convictions on these charges.
Following the shooting, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department launched an internal investigation into the incident. The officer who fired the fatal shot, Derik Harper, was placed on administrative leave, a standard procedure in officer-involved shootings. The death of Joshua Dyer raised questions about the use of lethal force by police, particularly in situations involving moving vehicles. At the time, IMPD policy allowed officers to fire at a vehicle if they reasonably perceived it as a weapon. The outcome of the specific internal investigation into Officer Harper's actions was not publicly detailed in available online sources.
