Sabrina Travis

In the early morning hours of October 2, 2022, a dispute on the east side of Indianapolis, Indiana, turned fatal for an innocent bystander. Sabrina Travis, a 35-year-old Black woman, was on a sidewalk in the 2700 block of East Michigan Street when she was shot. Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were dispatched to the scene just before 2 a.m. and found Ms. Travis with gunshot wounds. First responders attempted to save her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The subsequent investigation revealed that Ms. Travis was not the intended target of the violence. Homicide detectives believe the gunfire erupted from an argument between a man and his girlfriend who were in another car nearby. Ms. Travis was unintentionally struck by the shots fired during their dispute.

Within days, investigators identified a suspect in the shooting. Police arrested 20-year-old Ronnie Smith for his involvement in Ms. Travis’s death.

On October 6, 2022, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office charged Ronnie Smith with murder, battery, and other crimes. The case proceeded through the court system, and in May 2024, Smith was convicted and sentenced for the fatal shooting of Sabrina Travis.