On the morning of September 15, 2022, officers responded to a welfare check at a residence in the 7300 block of Taos Trail on Indianapolis’ east side. First responders arrived about 6:15 a.m. and found 32-year-old Samuel Lewis Reeder unresponsive; the Marion County Coroner’s Office later confirmed he had sustained at least one fatal gunshot wound. The Indianapolis Fire Department pronounced him dead at the scene and the case was treated as a homicide.

Reeder, known as Sam to friends and family, lived in Indianapolis and worked for a local moving company. He also performed and wrote music under the stage name Sam Ruthless Reeder and was remembered by loved ones as tender-hearted beneath a hard exterior. Detectives canvassed the area for witnesses and evidence and said they did not believe there was an active threat to the public, but provided no motive.

No arrests or public identifications of suspects have been announced and the investigation remains open. If anyone has information, please contact the IMPD Homicide Office or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana.