INDIANAPOLIS – A slain funeral director was on the phone when he was shot and killed during a weekend robbery.
James Dixon III died after being shot outside the funeral home where he worked early Saturday morning.
A beloved figure in the community, Dixon was the funeral director at Dixon Memorial Chapel & Cremation Services. His family called his death a “senseless act of violence.”
Court documents revealed Dixon was on the phone with a woman when he was confronted by two teenagers who demanded he hand over his wallet at least twice. The caller then told police she heard gunshots.
According to a probable cause affidavit, someone carjacked a Mitsubishi SUV from a woman two days before the shooting. An IMPD covert robbery detective spotted the stolen vehicle; police then obtained a warrant and placed a tracker on the SUV.
Around 10 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, the SUV went on the move. Police tracked the vehicle and an FBI special agent spotted it going northbound on Lafayette Road around 1:35 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6. The agent followed the vehicle to Belleview Place.
The agent saw two males interacting with another man, later identified as Dixon, on the funeral home property. The agent believed something was wrong and saw the subjects reach toward each other. He also spotted a white SUV that matched the one he’d been tailing.
The agent believed a robbery was imminent and put on his bulletproof vest. He then “observed five or six flashes” and saw Dixon fall to the ground. The funeral director was taken to Eskenazi Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police had also rendered aid at the scene.
Another investigator heard gunshots being fired and saw two people running toward the white SUV. One of them had his arm extended as he fired at Dixon, according to court documents. IMPD SWAT vehicles blocked the SUV at the intersection of 16th and Belleview.
One of the suspects, 18-year-old Jashan Wallace-Carswell, got out of the passenger’s side door, put down his gun and surrendered.
The second suspect, 19-year-old Stacey Myron Fuller III, ran off and fired a single shot toward an unmarked police SUV; the bullet hit the windshield. The SUV then hit Fuller, who lost a shoe but continued running, police said.
Another officer saw Fuller throw a gun over a fence before he was taken into custody.
During the chaotic moments, an officer returned fire, according to police, but didn’t hit either suspect. The officer is on administrative leave, which is standard procedure after an officer-involved shooting.
Body cameras were on during the incident, police said. The Use of Force Review Board will also look into the shooting.
Fuller and Wallace-Carswell were arrested on preliminary charges of robbery and murder. Police are also investigating if they were involved in other robberies in the area.
IMPD sent this statement regarding the use of a tracking device on the stolen car before the shooting:
Officers know that often times stolen or carjacked vehicles change hands. The more time that goes by, the more evidence that is needed to arrest and get charges on vehicle occupants. Stopping the vehicle and detaining the occupants may not lead to the identification of the suspects and may hinder being able to identify suspects. The use of a GPS device would be done to covertly attempt to identify suspects, locate evidence of a crime and/or collect probable cause for an arrest. The end goals are to convict those involved and prevent future incidents from occurring.