Court docs reveal identity of 19-year-old accused of shooting, wounding IMPD officer

INDIANAPOLIS — Criminal charges have been filed against one of the three men arrested in connection with a shooting that wounded an officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department this week.

The suspected shooter has also been named in court documents for the first time.

Court records show prosecutors requested and were granted a higher-than-normal bond for 19-year-old Tyson Reach.

Reach is now being held without bond pending the filing of formal charges in his case.

It all started with a traffic stop involving a stolen car on Tuesday afternoon.  Police claim Reach got out of the car and shot an IMPD officer without warning.

That officer returned fire and critically wounded Reach, who remains in the hospital.

During that chaos, police say 19-year-old Malique Starks also got out of the car and ran into a nearby apartment where he surrendered.

Starks is now charged with resisting law enforcement as a misdemeanor.

Charges against his 19-year-old brother Mahki Starks are still pending.

Mahki Starks was allegedly driving the stolen car and is suspected of taking part in the initial carjacking.

The details of that particular robbery are a bit convoluted, but it reportedly started when police were called to a BP gas station on 34th Street Monday morning. At that time, two men claimed they had been carjacked.

The two victims initially described being robbed while trying to sell some Huskie puppies, but one of the men later confessed that the pair had met up with Mahki Starks and a fourth suspect to break into unlocked cars.

After stealing a Toyota from an innocent person, Mahki Starks allegedly turned on his accomplices and stole their white Honda.

During an interview with police, Mahki Starks reportedly claimed it was the fourth suspect who committed the robbery, and he only went along with it because he was far away from home with no ride.

Mahki Starks also claimed the accomplices were robbed likely as revenge for an unrelated shooting several months earlier.

Speaking about the shooting this week, IMPD Chief Chris Bailey called the attempted murder of his officer and the circumstances of the case disturbing.

“I just can’t wrap my head around it,” Bailey said.  “An attack against a law enforcement officer is an attack against civil society.  It’s an attack against our way of life, and we all have to be outraged about it.”

The wounded officer has been released from the hospital.

The prosecutor’s office confirms charges against Reach and Mahki Starks are expected to be filed next week.

FOP President Rick Snyder sent the following statement, urging the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office to file the most serious charges possible:

“As we learn more about those apprehended in the attempted murder of our Indianapolis Metro police officer, we expect the full measure of the law to be applied for all participants.

This means the highest applicable crimes should be charged by the prosecutor. 

Additionally, we expect higher than standard bonds by the courts, due to the aggravators of the use of a firearm upon a law enforcement officer in the course of their duties.

Recognizing all are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty, the rights of the accused must be balanced with the safety of the community for such an alleged crime.”

As is standard policy, the wounded officer who allegedly exchanged gunfire with Reach remains on paid leave while the case is investigated.