In the early morning hours of January 28, 2018, a disturbance at the Sawmill Saloon near Sherman Avenue and 14th Street in Indianapolis escalated into a large brawl that spilled onto the bar’s gated outdoor patio. A firearm was fired during the melee, and five people were struck. Among the critically wounded was 50-year-old Indianapolis resident James Ratcliffe, who died of his injuries; another patron, 24-year-old Deron Gray, was also killed. Three other victims were injured and survived.

Months of investigation led Indianapolis Metropolitan Police to a suspect. In July 2018 police arrested 32-year-old Jerrick Whitley and charged him with multiple felonies, including two counts of murder for the deaths of Ratcliffe and Gray. Prosecutors tried the case, and a jury found Whitley guilty on both murder counts and an aggravated battery count; on October 31, 2019, the court imposed a long aggregate prison term, which was later upheld on appeal in 2020.

Did anyone at the Sawmill Saloon that night see how the shooting began or recognize people who left the scene?