INDIANAPOLIS — Gunfire erupted in an east side neighborhood on Sunday night after a longstanding feud between two neighbors came to a head, according to new court documents.
The situation ended with a SWAT standoff that lasted late into the night.
IMPD arrested 38-year-old Sharonn Mickle on charges of criminal recklessness and illegal possession of a firearm in connection to the incident.
Police were initially called to 32nd Street and Wallace Avenue around 9 p.m. and heard several gunshots coming from the 3300 block of Drexel Avenue. On Drexel they found a man firing off a shotgun in the middle of the street.
That man was detained and told police the man he was shooting at was Mickle who was his neighbor. Mickle ran back inside his home.
According to court records, the man told police that he and Mickle had been feuding over a car crash that happened earlier in the year and had apparently been settled. However, the man told police that Mickle was waiting for him when he came home and the man asked if he “had a problem” and that when he said Mickle took a rifle and started shooting at him.
The man told police he fired back at Mickle as he ran inside his home.
Mickle along with two other men refused to come out and IMPD’s SWAT team was called in. All three eventually came out after flash bangs and repeated commands.
“No conflict should ever arise to where there’s shots being fired,” IMPD Public Information Officer William Young said.
Young said it was concerning that simple dispute between neighbors had risen to that level. He encouraged people to take advantage of resources such as the Center for Conflict Resolution that can mediate disputes among people, including neighbors.
“It’s important that we do everything we can as a city, not just as a police agency, but as a city to continuously work on conflict resolution,” Young said.
On Monday, neighbors said the dispute had been brewing for some time and they felt lucky that nobody was seriously injured.
“There’s a huge potential when you’re recklessly firing off a firearm in a residential area because once you fire a firearm, you can’t get that bullet back,” Young said.
Mickle had a preliminary court date scheduled for Thursday. The Marion County Prosecutor has yet to file formal criminal charges.
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