9 people in Indianapolis have been killed in 9 days

Nine people have been killed in Indianapolis since July 28, including a 45-year-old man who was fatally shot by police and a 19-year-old woman who was stabbed and strangled at an apartment complex. 

DeShon Downing, police say, allegedly produced a gun when officers stopped the van he was inside at 8:15 p.m. Aug. 3 in the 8500 block of East 42nd Street. Officers then shot and killed him.

The involved officers, who weren't wearing body cameras, were part of the East District Flex Team, which the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department described as a proactive unit that chases the city's most violent criminals.

Joseph Aikens, 32, was killed Aug. 4 in an early-morning shooting outside a burger shop in the 5900 block of Massachusetts Avenue.

Miles Cross, 26, and Shainita Caffey, 25, were killed in a west-side shooting Aug. 5. 

Debronski Devon Leono, 29, was shot Aug. 2 in the 4500 block of North Kitley Avenue near Lawrence. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition, and he later died.

Just before 7 p.m. July 30, 44-year-old Robert Sanders was fatally shot multiple times in the 3000 block of North Capitol Avenue. 

On July 31, 25-year-old Tyrone Cathey was shot in the 3100 block of Manor Court, a neighborhood west of East 30th and Emerson streets. Medics took Cathey to an area hospital, where he died. 

Evelyn Lopez, 19, was stabbed and strangled the morning of July 29 at the Sawmill Apartments, near South Sherman Drive and I-465 on the south side. The suspect in her death, 19-year-old Emerson Ariel Ortiz-Pacheco, is a citizen of Honduras who may be trying to leave the U.S., police said Friday. 

Indianapolis crime:These graphics help explain Indianapolis' homicide problem 

Officers found 18-year-old Shamar Cole July 28 with an apparent gunshot wound in a vehicle near Fountain Square. Detectives learned the shooting occurred elsewhere, and that the vehicle was still driving after it happened.

Medics pronounced Cole dead at the scene. 

Homicides on the rise in Indianapolis

Indianapolis has experienced four straight years with a record number of criminal homicides. In 2018, there were 159 criminal homicides, according to an IndyStar database. In 2017, there were 155. 

As of Aug. 6, IndyStar has recorded 83 criminal homicides in Indianapolis. On that date in 2018, there had been 85 criminal homicides, according to IndyStar data. 

Andrew Clark is a reporter for IndyStar. Call him at 317-444-6484 or email him at andrew.clark@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Clarky_Tweets.