In Indianapolis man says that he shot an alleged burglar he caught at a property he owns and then had to confront a second burglar after returning from the police station.
According to WTHR, homeowner Alfred Burdine was leaving for work early on Tuesday when he discovered that an alleged burglar was trying to steal a generator from a property he owned on North Forest Avenue.
Burdine said he parked his car, drew a handgun and approached the man. When the man saw Burdine the man reached his hands into his pockets as if he had a gun, so Burdine said he feared for his life and fired on him.
According to the news report, Burdine shot the man in the leg, called 911 and then held the man at gunpoint until police arrived and transported the man for treatment.
20 minutes later, Burdine had just returned from the police station after talking with officers about the first incident, when he was surprised by a second burglary that was underway.
Police were able to arrest the second suspect as well without incident.
Burdine said he is trying to understand the reasons for the crime spike.
“Since they closed Central State (Hospital), where do these people have to go?” he added. “You got people with mental problems; you got drug addicts. Where do you take these people, even if they wanted some help?”
Alfred Burdine says he shot a man burglarizing his home & detained him until IMPD got there. Burdine says the burglar cost him thousands of dollars in repairs. I spoke to him about the moment he came face-to-face with the man. That's on @WTHRcom at 11:00. pic.twitter.com/tM89SaAFgJ
— Chase Houle (@chase_houletv) March 8, 2024
Central State Hospital was a psychiatric treatment hospital in Indianapolis and served only the counties in the middle of the state. Allegations of patient abuse, higher maintenance costs, funding shortfalls, and the move to less institutional methods of treatment led to its closure in 1994.
Overall, Indianapolis has seen violent crime decline slightly in the years since the Covid 19 pandemic.
According to an analysis by WISH TV News, in 2023, Indianapolis recorded 219 homicides, a decrease from years prior. It was the second straight year the city saw a decrease but was the fourth year in a row police have investigated more than 200 homicides.
