INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department confirmed two men were arrested in separate gun-related incidents at Castleton Square Mall on Saturday, just one day after an 18-year-old was shot following an altercation.

The events happened within five minutes of each other on Saturday, February 18, and police said one of the suspects had a firearm with a “Glock switch.”

The first incident began around 5:39 p.m. when an off-duty IMPD officer working at the mall noticed a bulge in a man’s pants that appeared to be a firearm. Firearms are prohibited under the mall’s code of conduct.

The officer and other mall security approached the man, 23-year-old Walter Oliver, and asked if he had a weapon. According to a probable cause affidavit, Oliver denied having a weapon and then ran toward one of the mall’s main entrances.

When Oliver ran outside, he was taken into custody by officers who reportedly saw a firearm in his waistband. Police used a stun gun after Oliver broke free momentarily during a scuffle. One IMPD officer reportedly received a cut above the eye during the exchange.

Officers confiscated a Glock 35 .40 caliber that had been modified with a Machinegun Conversion Device (MCD) or a “Glock switch.”

Oliver was arrested for possessing a machine gun and resisting arrest with injury to law
enforcement.

While police were dealing with the first situation, IMPD officers and mall security working in another area of the mall had detained another man who was believed to have a firearm.

According to one IMPD officer’s account, 24-year-old Jovan Willis was taken into police custody around 5:42 p.m. and told to leave the property or he would be arrested for trespassing.

Court documents state Willis argued with officers about leaving the mall, repeatedly saying, “I can be right here,” and he needed to go back inside to find “his girl.” Willis reportedly refused to put his hands behind his back and began walking away.

According to an affidavit, an IMPD officer decided to let Willis go without arresting him, but police said he turned back toward the mall and then started asking people walking by if they had their phones on.

At this time, police made the decision to arrest him for trespassing. Officers said Willis would ball his fist and make his arm stiff, making it difficult to handcuff him.

“Due to Mr. Willis continuing to walk away and forcefully pulling his arm from my grip I charged him with Resisting Law Enforcement,” the officer wrote in the affidavit.

Officers found a Glock 27 .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine on Willis, along with 17 .40 caliber bullets, according to court documents.

According to IMPD, Oliver has been banned from Castleton Square Mall for life. It’s unknown if the same ban applies to Willis.

Their arrests came one day after police arrested 18-year-old Curtis Wilson. Court documents indicated Wilson had shot at a group of men after an argument near one of the entrances. Wilson was shot in the thigh after someone in the group fired back.

On January 3, 16-year-old Michael Mason Jr. was shot and killed in the Castleton Square parking lot after what witnesses said was a mix-up with vehicles. No charges have been filed in the teen’s death.