On the evening of October 8, 2020, 22-year-old Daniel Baxter was sitting in his vehicle at a stoplight at East 30th Street and North Keystone Avenue in Indianapolis when a black Dodge Charger pulled up behind him. A man got out of the passenger side, approached Baxter’s car and fired five shots. An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department lieutenant witnessed Baxter’s car crash nearby and found him unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds; Baxter later died from those injuries.

Security footage from Baxter’s apartment complex showed the Charger following him as he left home. FLOCK camera video and witness accounts helped investigators track the vehicle to Lawrence resident Keith Cole. Officers say they found a .357 Magnum revolver wrapped in plastic in an outdoor trash can at Cole’s home; his fingerprint was on one of the bags and his DNA on the gun. Cell phone records placed Cole in the area, and surveillance showed clothing matching the shooter’s outfit. The Charger’s driver, Curtis Carson, later told investigators he followed Baxter at Cole’s direction and that he and Cole tried to remove the car’s red stripes after the shooting.

Anyone who knew Daniel Baxter, who lived in Indianapolis, or who has information about the events leading up to his death is asked to come forward.