Shootings Target Homes of 3 Indianapolis Officers

INDIANAPOLIS --

The properties of three police officers who live in the same neighborhood have been targeted in shootings in the last three months, authorities said.

Someone fired bullets into the adjacent homes of two Indianapolis police officers on the city's southeast side on the night of April 9, police said. Both officers have spouses and children; no one was injured.

The shootings came about three months after someone fatally shot a horse belonging to a Lawrence police officer. The horse was on the officer's property; all three officers live in a rural neighborhood.

Nick Mitchell, one of the officers whose houses were shot last week, said he believes his home and his neighbor's house were targeted because both belong to police officers.

"That's something that won't be tolerated," Mitchell said.

Mitchell's wife, Kristie Mitchell, also feels like her home was targeted because of her husband's profession.

"My opinion is that they targeted these two houses because they knew police officers lived here and really didn't care if there were children here who might have gotten shot and killed that night," she said.

Police said they're investigating all three shootings and have identified a suspect in the horse's death. No arrest has been announced; information on whether investigators believe that the horse's killer also fired last week's gunshots wasn't available.

The shootings aren't the only incidents in that neighborhood worrying authorities. In December, someone exploded a bomb inside a mailbox that did not belong to a police officer.

Police said anyone with information about last week's shootings should call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.

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