Indianapolis teens arrested in fatal robbery after gun found

Jerry Thompson Jr., 38, and his girlfriend were returning home from the store when they saw two teenagers sitting on a staircase next to the door of Thompson’s apartment.

Unbothered by the teens, the couple said hello as they walked to Thompson’s apartment down the street 7600 block of Beverly Hills Drive on the evening of September 15, 2024.

But when Thompson started reaching for the keys to his apartment, the teens ran toward the couple with a gun in hand, according to court documents.

One of the teens held the gun toward Thompson’s head as they demanded he open the door. After he refused, Thompson was shot at least four times, with two bullets hitting his cheek and head before the teens fled the apartment complex.

Thompson fell to the ground. His girlfriend ran screaming for help before returning to Thompson to render aid.

Neighbors called the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, but by the time police arrived on the scene, Thompson had died.

On October 17, 2024, both teenagers were arrested and provisionally charged with murder. One of the teens is charged as a juvenile, while the other, Muhammadou Ali, 16, is charged as an adult.

Marion County prosecutors have charged Ali with murder and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury on October 22, 2024.

Police arrest two teenagers in connection with murder

A neighbor who saw the teens running from the apartment described them to police at the scene, according to court documents.

Shortly after the shooting, an officer driving along New Augusta Road and 79th Street saw the teens walking toward it Eastbrook Elementary and tried to stop them while driving his marked police car, before the teens tried to flee.

According to court documents, the officer began chasing them and caught Ali behind Eastbrook Elementary.

The other teen evaded police by running through a wooded path on the edge of the school, hiding in a neighborhood near the school but outside the police search area.

At one point, while evading police, the teen dropped his Marvel-themed backpack, which contained a loaded Sig Sauer Model P365 9mm. Officers recovered the backpack on September 16, 2024, when they searched the wooded area with Pike Township School police. Inside the backpack, police found schoolwork with the teen’s name written on it.

As police searched the area, an Uber driver pulled into the school parking lot and told police they were there to pick up the teen.

Officers then used a drone to locate the teen in a neighborhood several blocks away.

While interviewing the teens, Ali explained to police that he did not know the other teen, but while interviewing the other teen, police discovered that Ali had the teen’s cell phone. Footage captured by an area surveillance camera showed the two teens running to the elementary school together.

On October 12, 2024, police completed an investigation into the firearm and shell casing found at the murder scene. Police determined the rounds were fired from the Sig Sauer Model P365 9mm recovered in the teen’s backpack.

On October 17, 2024, police arrested Ali and the other teen and took both to the juvenile detention center.

Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at [email protected] or follow him at X @1NoePadilla.