On a tragic summer night in Indianapolis, the life of 33-year-old Kelly Lynn Cooper Jinks was abruptly cut short. Early in the morning on August 12, 2011, a dispute over a loud stereo escalated into a fatal shooting that claimed two lives and left a man critically injured.
The incident unfolded around 1:30 a.m. in the 1700 block of South State Avenue. According to police, an argument broke out between 37-year-old Mary Swift and Edward Lay, a man she had recently been dating.
Witnesses reported that the disagreement was over the volume of a stereo. In a sudden act of violence, Lay pulled out a handgun and shot Swift multiple times.
As the tragic event unfolded, Kelly Jinks and 40-year-old Ronald Kortz II attempted to intervene. In his rage, Lay then turned the gun on them, firing and striking both. Kelly Lynn Cooper Jinks and Mary Swift were both pronounced dead at the scene. Kortz was rushed to Wishard Memorial Hospital in critical but stable condition and underwent surgery for his injuries.
Indianapolis police officers who were patrolling the area heard the shots and responded quickly. Edward Lay attempted to flee the scene but was apprehended by police a short distance away. He was arrested and faced two counts of murder for the deaths of Kelly Jinks and Mary Swift, as well as one count of attempted murder for the shooting of Ronald Kortz II. Lay was also charged with being a serious violent felon in possession of a firearm, as he had a prior criminal background. In a comment on an online memorial page, it was stated that Edward Lay was found guilty on two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder on June 27, 2012.
