INDIANAPOLIS — A city council member in Indianapolis says gunmen targeted his residence with gunfire early Monday morning, leaving behind a message opposing data centers after he supported a controversial development project.
Council member Ron Gibson reported that he and his 8-year-old son were jolted awake around 12:45 a.m. when attackers discharged 13 rounds at their front entrance. Neither Gibson nor his child suffered injuries, though the gunfire hit dangerously close to where his son had been playing with building blocks at the dining table just hours earlier.
“That reality is deeply unsettling,” Gibson said. “This was not just an attack on my home, but endangered my child and disrupted the safety of our entire neighborhood.”
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officials confirmed that officers responded to the East 41st Street residence after 9 a.m. Monday morning, discovering bullet damage to the home. Authorities characterized the shooting as a deliberate, targeted attack and have requested FBI assistance in the investigation.
“I understand that public service can bring strong opinions and disagreement, but violence is never the answer, especially when it puts families at risk,” Gibson said on Monday. “This will not deter me. I will continue to serve the residents of this district with integrity and respect for all voices.”
The shooting follows recent controversy over Gibson’s backing of a data center development by Metrobloks in his district. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission granted approval for the rezoning request last week, despite opposition from neighborhood residents and community activists who voiced concerns about the project’s potential impact.
Gibson had publicly endorsed the commission’s approval in a statement issued last week.
“The site has remained underutilized for years, and today’s action is an important step toward bringing it back into productive use in a way that benefits both the surrounding neighborhood and our city,” Gibson said. “As the district councilor, when this petition comes before the full Council, I do not intend to call it down.”
