INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man facing charges after a deadly shooting that left a mother dead after dropping off her kids at daycare had planned to kill her, court documents detail.
Orlando Mitchell faces charges in connection with the deadly Sept. 16 shooting of Krystal Walton. She was shot to death as she dropped her seven-year-old daughter off at a church daycare in the 900 block of North Holmes Avenue.
A probable cause affidavit filed in the case against Mitchess said a witness who was inside the daycare center reported to police that she saw Walton falling to the ground next to her vehicle and a man holding a black firearm running away. The witness knew about the ongoing domestic issue between Walton and Mitchell.
Another witness also saw the man and knew about the issues. She told police that Krystal had a restraining order against Mitchell and the daycare wouldn’t let him inside anymore.
These issues include a March 2021 arrest after he strangled Walton while she was pregnant with their child, telling her she needed to get rid of her baby. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor domestic battery charge in exchange for the dismissal of three felonies. He was sentenced to one year of probation, counseling, and a continuing order to stay away from her.
After the deadly shooting, Mitchell’s mother went to the scene and told police that she had not spoken to him in almost a month because he said he was going to kill Walton and make it a “murder-suicide.”
The court document details that Mitchell also recently told his mother “If he couldn’t see his son, she wasn’t gonna be in his life either.”
Hours after the shooting, the document states that a person called 911 saying they were at a bus stop with a man. The bus driver told police that the caller got on the bus and said he just called 911 because the man said he killed his girlfriend at 10th and Holmes.
The document goes on to say the man stuck his head in the door, saying the first person called 191 because he was a criminal and it would be on the news that night.
Police said they later found Mitchell holding a rifle and walking toward a vehicle described as the one he drives around.
“Immediately upon exiting their vehicles, officers observed the suspect holding a rifle. Officers gave verbal commands to drop the weapon. At that time officers discharged their service weapons,” said IMPD officer Samone Burris.
The document said that the officers hit Mitchell in the leg. As he was being secured, body camera footage recorded him saying “I shot that [expletive]!” and then later saying, “I shot that [expletive] in the face!”
Mitchell faces charges of murder, invasion of privacy and unlawful possession of a firearm by a domestic batterer. An initial hearing in the case is set for Tuesday.