On the evening of August 30, 2023, a confrontation at the Menards on East 42nd Street in Indianapolis ended in deadly gunfire. Olajawon Malik Cowherd, 24, a Black male working as a security guard in the store’s lumberyard, tried to stop a vehicle from leaving the premises. A verbal dispute with a male customer escalated into a physical fight near the exit, and both men produced firearms.

Both Cowherd and the customer, identified as 39-year-old Justin Andrew Do, were found with gunshot wounds. Cowherd was taken to a local hospital and died shortly after arrival; Do was also hospitalized and died during surgery. Investigators reviewed surveillance video, witness statements, and scene evidence and described the episode as likely mutual combat between the two men. Police said they were not seeking any additional suspects and that the violence appeared contained to the two individuals involved.

Are there witnesses or anyone who worked the lumberyard that evening who can add detail about what led up to the confrontation?