Suspects involved in downtown Indianapolis police shooting released from jail

INDIANAPOLIS — Two men who were arrested early Saturday morning for their involvement in a shooting and police chase in downtown Indianapolis have been released from jail.

Donte Swinton, 29, and Dominique Armstrong, 32, face misdemeanor resisting law enforcement charges after allegedly fleeing the scene of a shooting incident that led to an officer shooting with his weapon.

Following a chase through the streets of downtown Indianapolis, IMPD reported confiscating a firearm after Swinton and Armstrong crashed the vehicle they were driving into two other cars parked in the block of 800 houses of North East Street.

A third person fled on foot.

Two residents of an apartment building backing onto a parking lot in the 100 block of South Meridian Street told FOX59 and CBS4 they heard multiple gunshots.

“It looked like someone emptied a magazine,” one man said at 3:20 a.m. Saturday.

“I was coming home from work and heard a few gunshots not far from my window, followed by another gunshot after a short delay,” said a resident who wished to remain anonymous. “I heard people screaming in my alley. It's very scary. I mean, I never thought I'd hear it this close to me.

IMPD Officer Tommy Thompson told reporters the following:

“The officers were working in the downtown area, they heard gunshots, the officers intended to locate the subject firing the shots and ensure no victims of the gunshots were located in the zone. Upon arrival, these officers located an individual and engaged him, and an officer-involved shooting occurred.

No one was injured in the shooting. The officer's body camera did not activate during the incident.

It's unclear whether the suspect shot the officer or whether Swinton or Armstrong fired the gun found near the vehicle they destroyed about a mile away.

Both men have previous convictions for firearms possession.

Swinton was accused of attempting to shoot an undercover IMPD detective in 2020, but the Marion County prosecutor refused to take the case to court, resulting in federal charges that led to a four-year sentence for possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a domestic violence offense.

Armstrong was convicted in 2019 of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.

As is standard procedure, the investigation continues and may result in additional charges.

Typically, IMPD detectives and Marion County forensic specialists would examine a recovered firearm for fingerprints or traces of DNA while comparing shell casings found at a shooting scene with those of the weapon seized.

This is the third shooting incident in the past two weeks in downtown Indianapolis, although the South Meridian Street bar district has been noticeably quieter since two struggling businesses closed after a shooting wild in summer 2021 and the murder of a visiting Dutch soldier in 2022.

A resident who said he told his wife to hide in the bathroom of their first-floor apartment during Saturday morning's shooting now has this advice for the next time gunshots are heard outside from his apartment:

“Just hide and try to keep your head down. “