1 arrested for drive-by shooting on the south side of Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS — A 19-year-old man was charged in connection to a drive-by shooting on the south side of Indianapolis.

The shooting happened on July 14 at around 9 a.m. on East Craven Street.

James Hamilton says his house was hit in the incident.

“I was at work at the time. My girlfriend was home,” said Hamilton.

Video from Hamilton’s security cameras show a car driving by and bullets coming through the windows.

“I was sitting on my bed looking at my phone, which I do a lot. All of a sudden I heard glass breaking. I knew someone was shooting at me. I immediately fell to the floor because I figured I needed to get down,” said Debra David, Hamilton’s girlfriend. “I was totally shocked. I’ve never had anybody shoot at me like that, ever.”

Hamilton has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years. He says he’s been the victim of a crime before, but nothing like this.

“No, mostly thievery around this area. From day one there was a lot of petty theft,” said Hamilton.

David says the shooting is having an impact on her.

“I’m jumpy at every little sound I hear now, and I’m always watching the monitors because I wasn’t expecting to be shot at,” said David.

It’s unclear why the house may have been hit. IMPD has not identified a specific motive, but Hamilton thinks it’s because of a post he made on the Neighborhood app.

“I posted a man with a gun back here at the park. It was on my security surveillance. The next day my house got shot up,” said Hamilton.

IMPD says when it comes to cases like this, any surveillance video or witness accounts helps get them solved. They reiterate that reducing gun violence is their top priority.

“Certainly it’s disturbing when you have individuals who are using firearms and operate them recklessly. It’s more disturbing when those bullets are striking homes because you never know if there’s a family inside — A child may be sleeping. It’s just not a good idea. We certainly want to hold those individuals responsible and accountable,” said William Young with IMPD.

On Friday, 19-year-old Jeffery Rybolt was arrested for the shooting. He’s being charged with criminal recklessness and unlawful possession of a firearm by a violent felon.