IMPD shows officers negotiating with armed man in the bedroom where he held his girlfriend hostage

Edited body camera video released by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department showed officers attempting to negotiate with an armed man before storming into the bedroom where he held his girlfriend hostage.

The incident happened on Oct. 2, 2022 in the 500 block of S. Holt Road. Police received a 911 call for a reported domestic disturbance, in which a caller said a man with a gun was holding his girlfriend against her will. According to the caller, the man, later identified as 40-year-old Thomas Talley, said he’d shoot his girlfriend and any responding officers if police arrived.

The dispute involved a missing cellphone, the caller told police. Responding officers soon learned that police had been called to the address multiple times before for domestic disturbances.

One officer relayed over the radio that he’d been in the address before and described Talley as “erratic, aggressive and in possession of firearms.”

A witness told responding officers they’d heard Talley’s girlfriend tell him several times to put down his gun. Officers entered the home and spoke to Talley through a bedroom door.

Officers kicked the door to get Talley’s attention and ordered him to come out, the video showed. They told him to calm down, with one saying, “this is not going to end well.” They appealed for Talley to let his girlfriend go and radioed for SWAT since they had a “barricaded subject.”

SWAT arrived along with a negotiator. Again, police asked Talley to let the woman go. He didn’t, police said, and made “numerous suicidal statements.”

Neighbors said Talley was facing charges and didn’t want to go to prison.

“Tommy, if you just let the lady come out to us, you and I will continue talking,” the negotiator is heard saying on video. “You don’t have to come out right now. You let her come out to us so that she’s safe. I believe you don’t want to see her get hurt.”

Later, the negotiator said, “Tommy, none of us out here want to see you get hurt.”

Negotiations went on for about 50 minutes, IMPD said, with the negotiator and SWAT team members standing outside the bedroom door. Eventually, they heard a gunshot and stormed into the bedroom. Talley was armed with a semiautomatic gun with an extended magazine.

Four SWAT team members fired their weapons, killing Talley. Multiple gunshots are heard in the body camera footage. IMPD said none of the cameras worn by SWAT “provided a clear view” of the shooting because Talley was hiding. All body cameras were activated.

Talley’s girlfriend wasn’t hurt during the incident; police were able to get her out of the bedroom. No officers were injured.

The shooting remains under investigation by IMPD’s Critical Response Team. IMPD’s Internal Affairs Unit is conducting its own investigation into whether officers complied with department policy. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office is being consulted.

Once the criminal process runs its course, the case will go before the civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board.