INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The family of a man killed in a downtown shooting and another held in jail is challenging the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s account of the incident, claiming that race played a role in how the case has been handled.

The March 7 shooting near East Washington and North Pennsylvania streets left Jamar Thomas dead days later and his nephew, Lamonte Thomas, behind bars.

During a press conference Thursday at the Indy Liberation Center, relatives demanded the immediate release of surveillance footage and the dismissal of charges against Lamonte.

The grief brought together two women who had never met before Jamar’s death: his fiancée, Keanda Young, and Veronika Williams, the mother of Jamar’s 18-year-old daughter. The two women held hands for support as they addressed the community.

Williams spoke of the devastating toll on Jamar’s daughter, who was too distraught to attend. Williams broke down as she described how the teenager, who should be preparing for prom and graduation, is now instead preparing for a funeral.

Young revealed that she and Jamar had returned from a trip to Las Vegas less than 24 hours before the shooting. They had considered getting married while in Nevada but decided to wait. “I told him we should wait,” Young said. “Now, I’m mad that I didn’t get to experience that with him.”

IMPD detectives have told the family that surveillance video shows the Thomases tackling a man from behind, leading him to fire his weapon in what police are categorizing as self-defense.

However, the family insists that Jamar and Lamonte were unarmed and were simply picking up food when they were targeted. They noted that the initial witness accounts at the scene made no mention of a robbery.

The family’s primary grievance lies in what they describe as a glaring racial disparity in the investigation. They pointed out that the shooter, who is white, was allowed to go free, while Jamar is dead and Lamonte — both Black men — remains in the Marion County Jail.

“We want the public to know that the media is leaving out a huge part of this,” the family said, emphasizing that the shooter remains uncharged while Lamonte is held on a $12,000 bond for robbery and battery.

Community members joined the family in their call for transparency, demanding that IMPD release the full, unedited video of the altercation. Lamonte Thomas is currently scheduled to face a jury trial on April 27, although court dates are commonly rescheduled in Indiana.

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