Charges filed in Indianapolis shopping center shooting that injured 3

Man charged after triple shooting at Indianapolis shopping center

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A weekend shooting at a busy shopping center on the northwest side of Indianapolis has led to serious charges.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears says one man used a dangerous illegal device to unleash a rapid spray of gunfire leaving three people hurt. Video shared from the office shows Carlos Contreras stepping out of a black Dodge Challenger before firing dozens of shots into a crowd of people in a parking lot.

Mears said, “There’s 47 shots. Certainly the preliminary indications are that three different firearms were used and that we had two shooters that were alleged to have participated in this incident.”

Contreras faces a long list of charges including three counts of attempted murder, multiple counts of aggravated battery and battery with a deadly weapon, along with possession of a machine gun, criminal recklessness, and resisting law enforcement.

Mears says Contreras used an illegal Glock switch device that is typically made through 3D printing or sold online. He says it’s gaining popularity among young criminals. “They’re ill-equipped to handle the recoil so their shots are incredibly inaccurate, endangering more people.”

The sporadic gunfire hits a nearby car, leaving with several bullet holes left in it. It wasn’t the only car hit. Victoria Holmes was pulling up to the area Saturday night when she saw police tape and heard sirens going off. She’s thankful she decided to stay inside.

“A lot of people are getting hurt now just trying to go out and have fun, and it’s just over petty reasons,” Holmes said.

Chief Chris Bailey of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said the department remains focused and determined. “We’re targeting the most violent people in our community, the people, places and behaviors driving violent crime. Our officers will continue to do our part to impact violent crime and hold those accountable.”

Although Contreras was caught, that doesn’t give people in the community much comfort. Holmes said, “I’m glad they caught him as fast as they did, but it doesn’t mean the end though or that nothing is going to stop from here on out.”

So far, investigators do not know what the gunman’s motives were, and found nothing in the video to indicate any kind of fight before shots were fired.

The Democratic prosecutor said, “It speaks to something more that we have to do to try to reach people because the end result of this is he is charged with three counts of attempted murder and the maximum penalty of that is 120 years.”

A person inside of a blue SUV seen leaving the scene is a second person of interest. Investigators believe it may be the second shooter. Anyone with information on what happened or who knows the person was asked to contact IMPD Detective Tyler Swoveland at (317) 327-3475.

Carlos Contreras (Provided Photo/Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department)

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