Indiana University grad shot to death in 'random act of violence' in Indianapolis parking garage

A 23-year-old Indiana University graduate was gunned down in a downtown Indianapolis parking garage while on his way to meet his parents at a baseball game. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) said that officers responded to a shooting at a parking garage located at 101 S. Capitol Ave. on Thursday.

Witnesses reported hearing a gunshot and seeing a man run from the garage. An investigation is ongoing and no suspect is in custody. Officers later found Brett Scrogham suffering from a gunshot wound on an upper level of the garage. He died on Saturday, Fox 59 reported. Scrogham had graduated from IU's Kelly School of Business in May. His shooting has been described as a "random act of violence."

Friends, classmates, and neighbors remembered Scrogham as a hardworking and selfless young man with a bright future ahead of him. Family friend Dwayne Sayer told WRTV, "He was about to change the world. I truly, truly mean that. Brett was that spark; he had that x-factor, if you will. Not only was he an intelligent, articulate, young Christian man, he just had something special within him that I knew, and we all knew, was destined for greatness."

Scrogham’s death echoed all the way to Washington on Tuesday, where Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) honored Scrogham on the Senate floor.

“Though I never had the chance to meet him, it’s clear to me that Brett was truly an incredible person. And now I’ll never get the chance to meet this bright young man,” Banks said. The senator then went after Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, saying his weak on crime policies helped create conditions that allowed the murder to occur.

“The mayor of Indianapolis put out a weak statement that didn’t even mention Brett’s name, and so I wanted to come down to the floor and talk about who he was and what’s happening in Indianapolis,” Banks said. “Brett’s murder is the second murder in downtown Indianapolis in less than a week. Just before the Indy 500, Gregory Anderson, a father of five children, was murdered in the downtown bar district in Indianapolis. And then last Sunday, a 16-year-old teenager was murdered on the northwest side of Indy.”

The senator also called out Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears for his refusal to prosecute violent criminals. “If we keep making excuses for why we can’t enforce the law and keep violent criminals in prison, we will never have safe neighborhoods and communities — and innocent people like Brett will continue to pay the price,” the senator said.