Greenwood police block off eastbound traffic along County Line Road at the Emerson Avenue intersection as a Greenwood Fire Department Tactical Support Unit, background, drives by on Wednesday. A man was killed following a shooting near County Line Road and Interstate 65.
Andy Bell-Baltaci | Daily Journal
Police now say a road rage incident led to the fatal shooting Wednesday on County Line Road in Greenwood.
The man was identified by the Johnson County Coroner’s Office Thursday morning as Richard Donnell Hamilton, 43, of Indianapolis. He was the founder of the Indy Steelers youth football team in Indianapolis, a youth organization that mentors players by instilling them with the values of athleticism, teamwork, perseverance, sportsmanship and mentoring, according to their website.
In an update Thursday afternoon, investigators said they believed the incident began as a road rage encounter that culminated in gunfire. The road rage is believed to have initiated on Interstate 65 southbound north of County Line Road, police say.
The shooting occurred around 6:26 p.m. Wednesday at the I-65 interchange. Hamilton was riding in the passenger seat of a white work van with a female driver when a gunman opened fire, according to the Indiana State Police.
When Greenwood police and firefighters arrived in the area, they found Hamilton unresponsive with a gunshot wound. He was later pronounced dead at the scene, police say.
No one else has been reported injured in the incident. The female driver was in OK physical condition Wednesday night, said Cameron Bottema, ISP public information officer.
After interviewing witnesses, ISP detectives now believe the work van was targeted by occupants of a silver or gray passenger car with dark-tinted windows as they exited I-65 northbound to County Line Road. It is unknown at this time how many shots were fired, according to ISP.
Detectives are asking anyone with dash cameras, who were in the area of I-65 and County Line Road between 6:15 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, to review their cameras and contact the Indiana State Police at 317-899-8577.
Anybody with information about this crime can also anonymously report information to CrimeStoppers at 317-262-TIPS (8477).
The investigation is active and ongoing. ISP is the primary investigative agency.
