On November 16, 2021, 18-year-old Javian K. Rhodes, a Black male from Indianapolis, was found with apparent gunshot wounds near the trails at Gardner Park on the city’s northeast side. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene; the Marion County Coroner’s Office recorded his death as Indianapolis’s 244th homicide of 2021.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detectives opened a homicide investigation, canvassing the area for witnesses and physical evidence. Family and community members held a balloon release to remember Rhodes, describing him as bubbly, loving, and goofy — like sunshine to those who knew him — and pleaded for answers about who killed him.

No suspects or arrests have been publicly identified and no charges have been filed. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to come forward.