INDIANAPOLIS — One man has been implicated in two Indianapolis shootings that left a trail of four victims over the span of a week and a half.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police on Friday said 26-year-old Gerald Hatcher is behind the fatal March shooting of Yasar Burnett, 25, on the south side of the city. Hatcher is in custody in connection with a triple shooting at an apartment complex in April when police said their investigation linked him to the Burnett's killing.
An affidavit detailing the case against Hatcher reveals a tangle of criminal activity surrounding both killings, to include guns and stolen vehicles.
Multiple witnesses and people close to Hatcher led detectives to arrest the Indianapolis man, according to court documents.
April 25: Triple shooting at the apartment on Timbersedge Drive
Minutes after 10 a.m., gunfire rang out at an apartment complex on the northwest side of Indianapolis.
Responding officers found three people with gunshot wounds. One man, 19-year-old Ivionte Demar Campbell, was found dead on a couch inside the unit’s living room. Police found another man with a gunshot wound lying on the patio in an open doorway. The third man, shot in his leg, emerged from the bedroom when police ordered anyone inside the apartment to leave.
Police in the affidavit said neither of the injured men revealed details about what happened, saying they “didn’t remember much.”
Witnesses later told police they saw a bleeding man run into a vacant unit in the complex when the shooting occurred. The man first handed a gun to another person, who handed it to another person, who drove away with the firearm.
Investigators entered the residence and found a gun holster and carpet cutouts stained with blood. The residence, however, did not carry cameras outside that may have captured the person.
The same day, a detective received a cryptic text: A photo of Hatcher with the caption “shooter Gerald Hatcher.” The messenger provided no further detail other than saying they were sharing "what is being said in the streets.”
May 6: A crash becomes a shooting investigation at Stop 11
A week and a half and several miles away from the triple shooting on Timbersedge Drive, a one-vehicle crash was reported to police.
Officers found a white Chrysler 300 with extensive damage to the front and rear of the car on Stop 11 Road. Multiple bullet holes punctured the driver’s side window. Inside, Burnett was found suffering gunshot wounds in the driver’s seat.
Crime scene investigators collected a Glock 9mm handgun fastened with a switch and laser light from the floorboard of the Chrysler. Police further noted the Chrysler was stolen April 30.
Several people who lived nearby reported seeing the Chrysler speeding eastbound on Stop 11 Road and sail over the railroad tracks. One witness said the vehicle stopped on the grass and began to smoke. Two men then exited the car and entered the tree line, they told police.
Investigators were contacted by more people who said Hatcher and another man were inside the car at the time of the shooting. The Chrysler was stolen, police learned, and was followed by another car as a “buffer” so police couldn’t read the license plate and know the car wasn’t theirs.
Police said they attempted to talk with several more witnesses from the crash-turned-shooting investigation, but they refused over concerns for their safety.
In early June, a DNA profile from the blood samples from theTimbersedge Driveapartment unit showed an extremely strong link to Hatcher, the affidavit stated. When police took Hatcher into custody, they located evidence of gunshot wounds on both of his legs.
Investigators further uncovered an Instagram Live video that Hatcher took on May 11. Police said the video showed Hatcher listening to music before appearing to put his phone in his pocket and the screen goes dark, but audio can still be heard.
Detectives in the affidavit said Hatcher talking with another man about bringing on an attorney, then discussed the shooting.
“The dude that got shot is still alive, but blind,” Hatcher is heard saying, according to police. Hatcher then said he didn’t know the two other people he shot.
The other man asked if “we’re sticking to the same story about what happened in the car?”
Hatcher’s reply: “Yeah.”
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will determine final charges.
IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson can be reached at sarah.nelson@indystar.com
