INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – An Indianapolis man, Jalen Howard, 29 was indicted in August of 2019 for felon in
possession of a firearm. In May 2021, a jury found Howard guilty, and he was sentenced to 6 years
in prison for his crime.
According to court documents, in June 2019, officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to several different calls of gunshots around 16ᵗʰ Street and Tacoma Avenue. Each time, officers were unable to locate any suspects, but determined there were several males with guns in the area. On the fourth call to the same area, a witness indicated that the shooters were in front of a vacant house. Officers located the individuals and immediately saw firearms on two of the suspects. In total, four firearms were located on four people.
One of the individuals in possession of a firearm was Jalen Howard. Howard had previous felony convictions for theft and battery. Two other individuals with Howard at the scene previously plead guilty to illegally possessing a firearm and have been sentenced in federal court.
• Brandon Alexander, 32, Indianapolis
• Tyler Guigere, 28, Indianapolis
“Gun related crime is devastating the neighborhoods throughout Indianapolis,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John E. Childress. “Crimes like these not only put innocent bystanders in harm’s way but also tear at the very fabric of the community. We will continue to work with IMPD and our federal partners to address the problem with convicted felons with guns and utilize the rule of law to ensure they face the greatest penalty possible.”
“ATF is committed to combating gun violence in our communities,” said Roland H. Herndon, Jr., Special Agent in Charge for the Columbus Field Division. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those using firearms to cause violence in our community, with the goal of a safer Indianapolis for us all.”
“We want to recognize the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers who ran toward the gunfire during this incident in June 2019, not knowing the dangers they would face. We also must recognize the residents and innocent bystanders who witness gun violence right outside their front doors and called the police. IMPD along with our federal and state partners will continue to do all we can until the cycle of violence ends,” said IMPD Chief Randal Taylor.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence D. Hilton and Kyle M. Sawa prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.