INDIANAPOLIS–  A violent start to the year in Indianapolis continued Thursday when a series of shootings left one man dead and two others wounded. 

The three shootings took place in the span of less than one hour Thursday night.

The first of the three shootings happened outside a tire shop on Sherman drive. 

That death marked the 46th homicide of the year.  That is the deadliest start to any year in the city’s history.

The man killed on Sherman was identified as John Roger Moore Jr.  The 36-year-old died at the hospital and the motive for his killing remains a mystery to police.

“We truly have no idea what happened on that,” said IMPD Capt. Don Weilhammer.

15 minutes later, around 7 p.m., police were called to a neighborhood on Chatsbee court after an 18-year-old was shot and in extremely critical condition.

Several bullet holes shattered the front window of the home where that victim was found.

Just a half hour after that crime, police found another man shot and wounded at a motel near 21^st and Post.

“This is terrible.  Where is the accountability?” said Aaron Williams with the City of Peace Coalition.  “Enough is enough.  The residents are tired.  We have had failed leadership and residents need to stand up and say something.”

Aaron Williams is especially outraged at the numbers which show there have been more homicides on this date than any other recent year.  That includes 2021, which ended with a record-shattering number of deaths.

46 homicides is also nearly double the numbers seen prior to the pandemic.

“The thing we’re seeing is there are more incidents.  It’s not just that homicides are up. We’re seeing more acts of violence and more incidents,” said Williams.

In fact, because 2021 included a few mass casualty incidents, IMPD has responded to a record number of shooting scenes over the first two months of this year.

“The incidents are piling up and the leadership is failing our residents. Families are tired of burying loved ones and asking questions after the funeral, why did it happen?” said Williams.

IMPD points out that 11 of this year’s 46 total homicides are considered non-criminal. That means there have been 35 criminal murders on this date, which is lower than the last couple of years.  However, that number is often left up to the prosecutor to decide, resulting in the number fluctuating.

Some homicides that are initially deemed to be criminal can later be cleared as non-criminal and vice versa.

Homicides are determined by the coroner’s office anytime someone is killed by another person.

FOX59 believes in reporting the total number of homicides and not just the criminal cases because every death matters, no matter the circumstances.