On the evening of Sunday, December 3, 2023, 18-year-old Ariel Marie Calhoun was walking to a gas station a few blocks from the northeast Indianapolis home she shared with her mother when shots rang out. Officers found Ariel unresponsive in the road in the 7300 block of Crest Lane, near Hague Road and East 75th Street; she was pronounced dead at the scene. The Marion County Coroner’s Office ruled her death a homicide.

Family described Ariel as a sweet, hardworking young woman who graduated high school at 16, loved working on cars, and hoped for a career in the automotive industry. Her mother believes Ariel was being chased and running home when she was struck. Investigators say surveillance shows Ariel approaching a black SUV and that texts connect a number linked to Ariel with a number linked to 19-year-old Tyrese Rendell; police allege the shooting arose from a gun sale that turned violent.

If anyone saw Ariel that night or has information about her movements near Crest Lane and East 75th Street, please come forward.