INDIANAPOLIS — A 22-year-old Indiana man was charged Thursday with murder in the fatal shooting of a Dutch soldier and the wounding of two others in downtown Indianapolis.
Shamar Duncan was charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder and disorderly conduct in the shootings early Saturday, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said. The soldiers had been training at a southern Indiana military camp and were on a night off in Indianapolis when they clashed with Duncan and his friends, according to an arrest affidavit. The affidavit says Duncan told one of his friends that he opened fire on the soldiers because he “just spazzed.”
The soldier who was killed has been identified as Simmie Poetsema, a 26-year-old member of the Dutch Commando Corps.
One of the wounded soldiers has returned to the Netherlands and the other is expected to return Thursday, and both are expected to make a full recovery, Deputy Police Chief Kendale Adams said.
Adams called the shootings disgusting and tragic.
“The life taken due to senseless gun violence of a hero is disgraceful and cowardly,” Adams said.
PHOTOS: Indiana man charged with murder in Dutch soldiers' shooting
During a court hearing Thursday, a judge Duncan to remain jailed without bond and entered an automatic not guilty plea on his behalf. The Indianapolis resident has been in custody since his arrest on Tuesday.
Duncan’s lawyers said they are reviewing the allegations.
“Always remember, there are two sides to a story,” defense attorney KiKi Gaither told The Associated Press. “Clearly things got out of control. And it all comes down to, you know, who you believe.”
According to the affidavit, soldiers told investigators that they were walking back to their hotel from a bar when Duncan and his friends bumped into them. Witnesses told police that the soldiers tried to defuse the situation, but that a brief fight broke out before the gunshots were fired from a passing pickup truck.
Mears said Duncan has no criminal convictions that would make it illegal for him to carry a gun in Indiana, and that others who were with him at the time could still face criminal charges.
“I hope no one interprets this as the end of the investigation or that other additional charges against other individuals will not be filed in the future,” Mears said. “We are continuing to evaluate everybody’s conduct involved.”
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