INDIANAPOLIS — On Tuesday, protesters stand outside the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office demanding justice for a man who was fatally shot by IMPD following a traffic stop on the city’s northeast side two months ago.
On August 3, 49-year-old Gary Dwayne Harrell died after being shot by Officer Douglas Correll, a 28-year-veteran of IMPD, during a traffic stop in the 3400 block of Parker Avenue.
Harrell’s death sparked conversation in the community on IMPD’s use of force policy and a lack transparency.
Six days after the shooting, members of the Concerned Clergy called on IMPD Department Chief Randal Taylor’s resignation, citing a culture of lacking accountability for officers.
When IMPD released body camera footage of the incident, frustrations continued to manifest.
The shooting remains under review by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and Officer Correll is on paid leave pending the investigation.
Tuesday marks two months since the fatal shooting. As protesters stand outside the prosecutor’s office holding signs reading “Charge Correll Now” and “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied,” Marion County Prosecutor Mears tells WRTV he’s met with the Harrell family and people impacted.
“I met with the family.. I’ve had conversations with the people who are directly involved and impacted by what took place,” Mears said. “For me, I’ve very much had conversations with the Harrell family about what the process was going to look like, what role the prosecutor’s office could play in that, some of the limitations placed on our office as a result of the criminal justice as a whole.”
Mears stresses that the process of the criminal justice system is one that takes time.
“The biggest thing for us… we have to work within the parameters of the criminal justice system,” said Mears. “We have to make sure are following the law. We also want to make sure we get it right. This idea that things will happen overnight is not consistent with what we know about the criminal justice process or the criminal justice system.”
He goes on to mention the recent indictment of two IMPD officers who are charged with multiple counts for shooting a man who was sitting in a rental car outside of his grandmothers home on Dec. 31, 2022.
“Last Friday, we announced we were filing charges against police officers for what we believe to be an unlawful shooting that occurred on December 31st. That process took about nine months,” Mears said.
“When you’re involved in these types of investigations, when you’re involved in these types of cases, its really important to make sure that you do a thorough process and have pretty lengthy conversations and do everything you can to put yourself in a position where you have all your basis covered,” Mears goes on to say. “So you can be in a position to hopefully move forward with an indictment that will stand up in court.”
As for the Gary Harrell shooting, Mears says he is not permitted to discuss the details of the case until it is resolved.
“I can’t talk about cases. I can talk about cases when we make a decision when a case is filed and when a case is resolved. Prior to that and during the pendency of it there is really not anything I’m permitted to say or talk about,” Mears said. “I think everybody for the most part in our community understands that. I think there are some people that may have a different perspective but the ground rules are pretty clear.”
The Harrell family, as well as the Black Church Coalition, asked for the DOJ to open an investigation into IMPD and for Officer Correll to be fired.
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