Violence reduction team member killed in shooting
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man who spent his life working to prevent crime for the city of Indianapolis was shot and killed over the weekend.
The Office of Public Health and Safety said it lost a violence reduction team member. A public police report from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department identifies John Barnett as the victim from Saturday’s shooting at a gas station.
Police said the shooting happened at the Phillips 66 near Keystone and 34th Street at around 10 p.m. on Saturday. IMPD said there was some kind of disturbance at the gas station before the shooting. Officers told News 8 that the victim was in the background and they’re not sure if he was a bystander or working on his car. Barnett was shot and taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he died.
The Office of Public Health and Safety works to address root causes of crime and reduce violence in Indianapolis. It also runs the Peacemakers program and tweeted the following message.
“We lost a team member. There are no words to describe the pain we are feeling. But here are a few to remember the life of a father, a son, a partner, and a brother,” OPHS tweeted. “JB was a proud man, dedicated to his community. As an outreach worker with our violence reduction team, he continued the mission he always had: to give back. Friday night at Riverside Park in typical JB fashion, working with kids to make sure they felt loved and safe. He spent his life making sure he would leave a legacy in the people he helped.”
The Indianapolis Ten Point Coalition also tweeted the following message:
Now police hope people can help solve this crime. They said there were a lot of people at the gas station when the shooting happened.
They’re asking witnesses to come forward and call police or call Crime Stoppers.
Anyone with information can also contact the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475, or email detective Larry Craciunoiu at Larry.Craciunoiu@indy.gov.
