INDIANAPOLIS – Police arrested a 19-year-old in connection with a a shootout that left two injured at the Jewish Community Center gymnasium on Saturday. Court records have revealed that a dispute over the choice of teams for a basketball game sparked the incident which ended when the suspect pulled a gun from his backpack and shot him three times in the stomach of one of the victims.
Latrell Williams of Indianapolis was arrested by officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department on Wednesday on charges of assault and battery with a deadly weapon. The Marion County District Attorney’s Office later charged him with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal recklessness, possession of a firearm while on the property. school and possession of marijuana.
Police say the shooting happened just before 2 p.m. Saturday at the JCC, located at 6701 Hoover Road on the north side of Indy. Two adult men were injured in the shooting in the gymnasium. Police said that before officers arrived at the scene, a citizen provided first aid and applied a tourniquet to one of the victims.
Court documents revealed the shooting stemmed from an argument on the basketball court that began when Williams was choosing teammates for a basketball game. Williams allegedly chose one of the victims for his team, then changed his mind and chose another. The victim allegedly told Williams to “make up his mind,” according to the documents.
The victim reportedly told police the incident escalated after Williams’ team lost and the two started arguing again. The documents say the argument led Williams to say, “I’m not going to fight you. I will shoot you.
The victim told police that Williams then pulled a gun from his backpack. According to the documents, surveillance footage showed Williams producing the gun and then putting the gun in his jacket pocket. The victim threatened by Williams reportedly initially continued to play basketball, but later decided not to stay due to the risk of being shot. He told police he had gone to get his belongings, which were near Williams, when the 19-year-old pulled the gun from his jacket and started shooting.
Police say the man who argued with Williams was shot three times in the stomach. Another man who was playing basketball was shot in the leg, just below the knee, according to the documents.
Police were able to identify Williams as the suspect through surveillance footage and a signature sheet where Williams signed his name and phone number.
After being arrested, detectives reportedly spoke to Williams who initially denied being at the JCC on February 26 until police confronted him with evidence. Williams allegedly admitted to threatening to shoot one of the victims during questioning, according to court documents, but he eventually asked for a lawyer and the interview ended.
Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call Aggravated Assault Detective Roberto Sanchez at (317) 327-3475 or email [email protected].
The JCC released the following statement regarding the arrest:
We are happy to report that police have arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting that occurred at our gymnasium over the weekend.
Safety and security are of the utmost importance at the J and we thank the prompt actions of local law enforcement and our Jewish campus staff for their assistance during this event.
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