There are disturbing reports coming out of Indianapolis, where a suspect wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt fired 17 shots at the home belonging to an officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. No one was hurt, but the officer’s wife and son were in the home when shots rang out around 2 a.m. The suspect reportedly yelled “F**k the police." That person is now in custody (via RTV6):
RTV6 sources say somebody shot at an IMPD officer's house and police car on the near east side around 2 a.m. The officer's wife and 10-year-old son were in the house at the time. Investigators found 17 shell casings at the scene. There were three bullet holes in the police car and none in the house.Police had a suspect description based on witnesses and surveillance video.
The witnesses told officers they saw a black man driving a tan, mid-2000s Chevy Cobalt and had parked the car a few houses east of the house. They said they saw the suspect get out of the car, yell "F--- the police," and shoot at the house and police car.
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As officers were searching through the area, an officer saw a tan Chevy Cobalt a few blocks from the house. When the driver noticed the vehicle, he did a three-point turn and sped away. Police chased him, and he was apprehended.
The suspect, March Ratney, was identified at the scene by witnesses. He was wearing a black shirt with the words "f--- the police" on the front, and "black lives matter" on the back.
Police said Ratney is on parole, but officers haven't said why.
The home that Ratney allegedly opened fire on belonged to the officer that arrested him. One of the charges was carrying a handgun without a license. It’s too early to say if Ratney was motivated due to the recent string of police-involved shootings against African Americans, or if this was payback for being arrested. It could very well be the latter, and that may be the case. Of course, someone would be sour at the police officer that pinched him. Yet, it’s also part of a broader narrative of police-targeted shootings, some influenced by current events and some not, but threats against law enforcement have been rising.
In Dallas and Tennessee, we had two gunmen motivated by the recent police shootings of two black men. In San Antonio, someone fired shots at their police headquarters. In Georgia, a man called 9-1-1 to lure an officer to his residence, where he ambushed him.
Again, in this case, it may just be a bad beef, though the black lives matter t-shirt, yelling f**k the police, and opening fire on a police raises eyebrows as to other motives.
