INDIANAPOLIS — An attempted home break-in led to a man being shot and wounded on Indy’s near east side.
Just after 5 a.m. Tuesday on Forest Avenue, police were called following a confrontation between a homeowner and a would-be thief that turned violent.
The homeowner admitted he shot the suspect, who was trying to steal his generator. “As I confront him about my generator, he goes into his pocket like he’s about to pull a weapon, and I shot him in the leg to make him stop,” said Alfred Burdine.
Burdine had to have his home and garage doors repaired after they were damaged during the overnight break-in. Alfred admits he didn’t want to shoot the victim, but felt he had to defend himself and his property.
Burdine wishes the city would do a better job to help fix the root causes of violence.
“You’ve got too many homeless people and drug addicts in the neighborhood, and no one is offering them treatment,” said Burdine.
At the same time, IMPD has reported that there has been a double-digit decrease in non-fatal shootings over the first two months of the year.
So far this year, there have been 80 non-fatal shooting incidents. That’s a decline of 20% compared to the 100 incidents at same time last year.
The number of victims has also gone down.
That continues a trend of non-fatal shootings decreasing over the last three years.
Fewer non-fatal shooting victims has translated to fewer fatal incidents. Total homicides have declined by 13% compared to last year as well.
“We’re doing well, but we have a lot more work to do,” said Antonia Bailey.
Bailey supervises IMPD’s non-fatal shooting victims support program, which connects shooting survivors with assistance and tries to prevent violence by sharing an important message.
“Please just put the guns down,” Bailey said. “There’s plenty of resources out here that can assist you. “We’re just hoping people think before they act.”
Bailey’s team is also taking proactive steps to prevent non-fatal shootings by speaking to students in middle and high schools about gun violence.
The team also plans to begin canvassing high-crime neighborhoods in the coming months to make people aware about resources offered by the city.
Burdine was not arrested following the shooting. He said just a few hours after the shooting, a second suspect also tried to break into the home. That suspect was detained without violence until police arrived.
Alfie Steadmon, 30, was named as the suspect caught breaking into the home. He is charged with one count of burglary, a Level 5 felony, and possession of meth, a Level 6 felony.