PUBLIC SAFETY

IMPD team was ready for danger at SWAT shooting scene

By Bill McCleery and Jill Disis
bill.mccleery@indystar.com

The SWAT team members who swarmed a house southeast of Fountain Square on Wednesday night had an idea of what they would encounter.

The house was the suspected hotbed of a large-scale drug operation worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and police believed the ringleaders could retaliate against any officers who went there to clamp down on the business.

So when officers approached the back entrance, they were wearing bulletproof vests and had their guns drawn.

They were ready.

But so was the man inside.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Thursday the man suspected of injuring four officers during the SWAT raid knew police were coming: He had a video surveillance system set up and could watch officers approach the doors.

Andrew Sizemore

David Allender, captain of IMPD covert operations, said officers knew the cameras were there. He said he couldn't elaborate on details of the raid, in which the suspect, Andrew Sizemore, was killed in the gunfire that erupted, because doing so would compromise the investigation.

"None of us want these things to happen," said Indianapolis Public Safety Director Troy Riggs, "but at the end of the day, with the aggressiveness with which your Police Department is going after those who are committing criminal acts, this is always a possibility."

A criminal records check of Marion County indicated only a trespassing charge when Sizemore, 27, Indianapolis, was 19 that was later dropped.

Five other men were arrested on drug-related charges in connection with the search warrant served on the home.

None of the four officers sustained life-threatening injuries, police said. Three were hospitalized and have been released. At least two were shot. Authorities have not released their identities or specifics on how and to what degree each was injured.

Investigators were still working Thursday to clear out the house in the 1600 block of South State Avenue, where they said they found heroin, hundreds of prescription pills, 13 guns, more than $120,000 in cash and a garage packed with merchandise.

Allender said investigators suspect the goods inside the garage — stacks of power tools, a motor scooter and a boat — were traded in exchange for the drugs being sold out of the house. At least $500,000 to $750,000 worth of merchandise was found, Allender said.

"It is unbelievable," he said.

Riggs said officers were led to the house by an anonymous tipster.

One neighbor said the people who lived in the house seemed polite and exchanged greetings with her when she saw them in an alley.

"They were no trouble to me," said Linda Shaffer, 55, who lives across the alley from the house. "Anybody that doesn't mess with me is a good neighbor."

Shaffer said she moved into her duplex last summer and hadn't noticed unusual traffic or problems at her neighbor's home.

"I never paid them no mind," she said. "It wasn't any of my business."

The house where the shootout occurred appears to be the most secure in the neighborhood of mostly one-story bungalows. It is on a block dotted with vacant homes and others in various states of disrepair.

Clad in tan siding and topped with a new roof, the house is protected in the front by an iron fence and a sign warning of the presence of a security system.

Other signs of heightened security are visible on all sides of the house, as well as a garage behind it. There are several outside floodlights, motion detectors and at least two cameras monitoring the front and back entrances. A white camera mounted on the eaves over a back porch is trained on the rear entrance. A black camera mounted on a children's play set in the front yard just north of the home is aimed at its front door.

The side yards and backyard were cluttered with children's toys and stacks of building materials. Police would not say whether children were inside the home at the time of the shooting.

As the hours passed and word of the incident spread Thursday, friends and family members created a small tribute shrine in Sizemore's honor next to the iron fence. They left stuffed animals, flowers, a can of energy drink and a snack cake, a candle and a sign that said: "There was no reason for him to die."

Another hand-lettered sign said: "R.I.P. Drew, We love and miss you!"

Joshua Marco, 32, who lives nearby, said he was watching TV when he heard a commotion outside, although he did not hear any gunshots.

"I thought somebody was trying to kick down my back door, so I grabbed a baseball bat and ran to the door and saw cops everywhere," said Marco, who moved into the home about two months ago.

Marco said he had only limited contact with his neighbors and was suspicious about what was going on next door because of a constant stream of traffic. When he asked them to move a car that was blocking his garage, he said someone told him the traffic was from customers who came to get cars repaired.

"My landlord told me they were OK," he said.

Several other residents who live in the area were leery to comment. Some were even hostile to reporters seeking information about the neighborhood and the people who lived in the house.

The front door was still blocked Thursday afternoon by a yellow strand of crime-scene tape. Police also had the alley behind the home blocked off. Officers in patrol cars kept the media and gawking passers-by away from the scene while other investigators carried out armloads of items and loaded them into a large truck.

The five other suspects and their preliminary charges are:

• Jacob M. Goebel, 20, Indianapolis; visiting a common nuisance.

• Andrew Spurlock, 23, Indianapolis; visiting a common nuisance.

• Paul J. Beard, 21, Indianapolis; possession of a controlled substance.

• Justin R. Williams, 24, Indianapolis; visiting a common nuisance.

• Robert J. Morgan, 62, Indianapolis; dealing in a controlled substance.

Morgan and Sizemore lived at the house. Morgan was the owner, property records indicate.

A woman at the home was detained for questioning, police said. Four vehicles also were confiscated and towed from the home.

The Marion County prosecutor's office has put a 72-hour hold on the case pending further investigation.

Riggs said he talked to three of the four officers Thursday and said they appeared in good spirits despite their injuries.

"They are resolute and determined in what they do and ready to get back on the streets," Riggs said. "We'll give them a few days off, of course, but that just shows their determination and dedication to this community."

Call Star reporter Jill Disis at (317) 444-6137. Follow her on Twitter: @jdisis.