Off-duty Indianapolis police officer shoots person after gunfire erupts at bar and grill

An off-duty Indianapolis officer shot a person early Saturday after gunfire rang out at Bubbaz Bar and Grill on the East Side, according to police.

Three people were shot, and two are in critical condition, according to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police. The police officer was not injured.

The officer was trying to defuse a situation near the entry to the business, 10030 E. Washington St., just before 2 a.m. when gunfire erupted from inside, according to IMPD. The officer shot the “alleged suspect,” a male who was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, police said.

The gunfire from inside the business hit a man and woman, IMPD said. The man self-transported to the hospital and is in critical condition, and the woman is in stable condition, police said.

She was discovered at approximately 2:30 a.m. when officers responded to reports of a woman with gunshot wounds in the 2800 block of Carla Court. Officers learned she was wounded at Bubbaz.

Emergency medical services transported her to an area hospital.

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According to IMPD, an officer was equipped with a body-worn camera during the shooting, but it is not clear if it was recording at the time.

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office responded to the scene, as well as the Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency.

The officer who fired their weapon has been placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure in a shooting, according to police. The officer’s name has not been released.

IMPD Internal Affairs is conducting a separate administrative investigation into the shooting, and the civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board will conduct a mandatory hearing.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sgt. Scott Stauffer at the homicide office at (317) 327-3475 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (317) 262-TIPS. 

Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.

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