An incident at a Waffle House restaurant in Indianapolis, Indiana, on February 19, 2024, resulted in one fatality and five injuries. The incident took place early in the morning and involved a shootout between two groups.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to the scene on South Lynhurst Drive, on the city’s southwest side, around 12:30 a.m. Upon arrival, they found five individuals with gunshot wounds.
According to police reports, a dispute between two groups began inside the restaurant and soon escalated, spilling out into the parking lot where the shooting occurred. The victim, 35-year-old Crystal Kennebrew from Gary, Indiana, was caught in the crossfire and later succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital.
Five other people were injured during the shooting, including a man who arrived at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital on his own and is currently in critical condition. The remaining victims – three men and one woman – are reported to be stable.
In the course of their investigation, detectives found a handgun at the scene and another in a vehicle at the Methodist Hospital. Efforts are ongoing to obtain surveillance footage from the vicinity, with the police urging any witnesses to come forward.
While initial findings indicate that the shooting stemmed from a dispute between two groups, it remains to be established whether any of the injured were involved in the actual shooting.
Coincidentally, Kennebrew, a well-known bartender, and part-owner of a local pub in Gary, Indiana, was in Indianapolis in connection with a club party tied to the NBA All-Star game events held over the past weekend. “Crystal was the one who pulled people together. Now, it’s her memory that’s bringing us together,” her childhood friend Jaleesa Joseph said in a statement to the press.
Joseph also mentioned the local community’s love for Kennebrew, stating that, after her death, many family members had reached out to express their grief, saying she was the most memorable bartender in Gary because she always remembered their drink orders.
Indianapolis had been buzzing with tourists for the NBA’s All-Star weekend, which concluded on Sunday evening. The investigation into the shooting is still in the early stages, with the identities of the other victims and the progress in capturing the suspects yet to be revealed by law enforcement.
