Brett Scrogham was shot days after graduation in a downtown Indianapolis parking garage.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in the killing of Brett Scrogham, a 23-year-old recent Indiana University Indianapolis graduate shot May 28 in a downtown parking garage.
Scrogham’s death struck relatives, friends and city officials because of where it happened and who was lost. Police said the shooting occurred shortly after 6 p.m. inside the Plaza Park garage near the Indiana Convention Center. Detectives said video, evidence and witness interviews helped lead them to the juvenile suspect.
Scrogham was found in a vehicle with gunshot wounds and later died at a hospital. The garage is in the 100 block of South Capitol Avenue, a central downtown area near hotels, venues and event traffic. Police have not released the teen’s name. Officials have not said whether the shooting was random, whether anything was taken or whether the suspect and Scrogham knew each other.
The arrest came nearly a week after the shooting. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Tanya Terry said the case left two families facing life-changing consequences. “A young man lost his life and another now faces allegations that will change his life forever,” Terry said. She said the arrest could not heal the pain felt by Scrogham’s family, friends and loved ones.
Those who knew Scrogham remembered him as a promising young man at the start of his adult life. He had recently graduated and begun work in Indianapolis. A family friend, Dwayne Sawyer, described him as bright, articulate and unusually gifted. Scrogham’s death also reached national politics when U.S. Sen. Jim Banks spoke about him on the Senate floor.
City leaders said the case now moves into the court process. Mayor Joe Hogsett condemned the violence after the shooting and later said the arrest was one step toward accountability. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will decide what charges, if any, are filed. Because the suspect is 14, the case begins within the juvenile system unless prosecutors seek a different path under Indiana law.
The investigation remains open. Police said detectives are still working through the evidence, including video from the garage and witness statements. Authorities have not announced a court date, a final motive or a full account of what happened inside the garage before Scrogham was shot.
As of Friday, June 5, the juvenile suspect was in custody and prosecutors had not announced final charges. Police said more information would be released as the case moves forward.
Author note: Last updated June 5, 2026.