56-year-old Indy man found dead behind Eastside apartments

Indianapolis police have identified a man found dead behind an Eastside apartment building Wednesday and say his death appears to be a homicide.

The body of Andre Brown, 56, Indianapolis, was found about 9:30 a.m. under a carport at the Bankers Lane Apartments, 24 S. Wallace Lane, police said.

A few hours before the body was found -- shortly before 7 a.m. -- IMPD received a report of shots fired in the first block of North Wallace Lane. Brown's body was found in the first block of South Wallace Lane, south of Washington Street near Emerson Avenue.

Brown's death is the eighth slaying in Indianapolis since Friday, IMPD Lt. Christopher Bailey said.

A woman living at the apartments where the body was found said she was unsettled when she saw police cars swarm around her home, and after she learned why they were there, she insisted on seeing the body.

"The cops said, 'Get back,' and I said, 'No, I've got to see the body. It could be my son,' " said Patricia Wilson, 53. "It wasn't him, (but) it shook me up."

Wilson said she has seen prostitutes and drug dealers prowling East Washington Street and East 10th Street.

"This neighborhood is full of crime at times," she said.

Another neighbor, Phillip Norton, 58, said, "There are too many guns on the street. It's really disturbing to me because I think it's getting out of control. For the black community, we have to embrace each other more. If you see something wrong, report it. People, embrace your children. And get the guns off the street."

Call Star reporter Bill McCleery at (317) 444-6083. Follow him on Twitter: @BillMcCleery01.