INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – An Indianapolis woman was fatally shot in the head during a home invasion, according to Crime Stoppers of central Indiana.
According to a release, Amanda Blackburn was killed in her home during a home invasion in the 2800 block of Sunnyfield Court on the northwest side of Indianapolis.
She was transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital in critical condition.
IMPD said that they believe that she was shot in her home, during a robbery while trying to defend herself.
Tuesday morning, dozens of IMPD officers gathered at the intersection of Sunnyfield Court and Sunmeadow Way. It’s where the IMPD Northwest District held their roll call.
Commander Dawn Snyder said, “Such a terrible thing happened yesterday and we want to make sure that everybody out here knows that we support them, that we are here, we’ve been here, and we’re going to keep coming here.” Snyder added, “What happened yesterday is pure evil. It is a terrible thing to happen to this family and to our community.” She continued, “It’s just pure evil. I know that we’re going to find the people responsible for this and they will be held accountable.”
Neighbor Bruce Harris was among the police officers as they held their roll call and the department’s chaplain prayed. Harris said he met Blackburn two weeks ago while going for a walk.
Harris said, “My neighbor told me. I didn’t know who it was and then he showed me a picture of her. I said, ‘Oh man! I just talked to her about two weeks ago in the neighborhood walking.’ I said, ‘Oh man! Really?!’ I was just shocked. And he said, ‘Yeah, she got shot in the back of the head.’” Harris also said, “I’m very, very heartbroken.”
While many in the community are still on edge about what happened to Blackburn, neighbors said they will fight back.
Neighbor Ryan McConnell said, “There’s a lot of things. There’s community awareness. There are different events we can go to. We can host different events. We’ve knocked on doors to communicate with all of the neighbors.”
McConnell said Blackburn and her husband had recently announced they were about three months pregnant.
He said, “They had recently released to their congregation that they were expecting.”
Detectives continue to investigate the incident along with the Marion County Forensic Services Agency.
They were back at the home on Wednesday night to wrap up their investigation, but IMPD said they’re not restricting themselves to the scene of the crime.
Neighbors also held a crime watch meeting. The crime watch captain, Ryan McConnell, said at least 60 people attended including the homicide detectives working the case. He said most neighbors had questions, but some had more to say.
“Some neighbors discussed some new information that they may have witnessed and seen over the course of the time,” he said.
“(Neighbors) were encouraged to go through their yards, anything that you thought you may have seen, any descriptions of any car or person to let us know and we will look into it,” said Officer Diaz.
Besides helping with the investigation, neighbors also discussed ways to make sure this type of crime doesn’t happen again by communicating better with each other and police. They’re also reminding everyone to keep doors locked and garages closed, no matter the time of day.
“People are feeling afraid, they’re angry, they’re upset, they’re confused but I think we’re funneling all of that, all of those emotions into a coordinated action plan where we’re going to make some change,” said McConnell. “We’re not going to just lay down and let this sort of thing beat us.”
At this time, no information has been released on the suspect(s).
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.
Blackburn’s husband released the following statement:
It’s impossible to communicate all the emotions my heart has been forced to process. My wife was such a beautiful, gracious, loving woman of God. I have not only lost my ministry partner and support but also my very best friend. There is no way to prepare yourself for circumstances like these. As deeply as I am hurting I am hopeful and confident that good things will come of this. I rest in the truth of Romans 8:28 that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose.
Thank you for understanding my desire to take these next few days to continue to grieve for Amanda Grace. My focus right now is to let The Lord minister to my heart as I continue to shepherd little Weston’s. I’ll be taking this time to focus on being a great follower of Jesus, dad, family member, and pastor to our growing church.
Amanda made it her life’s calling to love and serve everyone she knew. Even more, she has made it her life’s mission to see as many people as possible come to know Jesus as their personal Savior. I know that in her death and legacy even more people will come to a saving faith in Christ. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt her desire for me would be to continue what we’ve started here in Indy. I hold firm to the belief that God is still good, that He takes our tragedy and turns it into triumph, and that the best truly is yet to come.
The church released the following statement:
On behalf of the Blackburn family, we are so thankful for your prayers and support. For those who have been asking how to donate to the Blackburn Support Fund, you can do that by clicking here.
Everything you give will go directly to help with all expenses and next steps for Davey and Weston. Please continue to support them in your prayers. We love our church family!
