Shots Fired at the Indianapolis Councilman’s House, Note Left at the Doorstep

Indianapolis City-Council member Ron Gibson, said at least a dozen shots were fired at his house, and a handwritten note was left at his doorstep reading “No Data Center” on the morning of April 6. The incident occurred after the City-County Council voted last week to allow the rezoning of a data center. Gibson has backed the project publicly before the attack befell his house.

In a statement released by City Council, Gibson mentioned that he and his 8-year-old son were not physically harmed, but the sound of gunfire awakened them. “Like any parent, I ran to him and reassured him that he was safe,” Gibson said in his statement. The incident allegedly took place sometime post midnight, when the shots were fired, and a note was left at his doorstep in a ziploc bag, reading “No Data Center.”

“Just steps from where those bullets struck is our dining room table, where my son had been playing with his Legos the day before. That reality is deeply unsettling. This was not just an attack on my home; this had endangered my child and disrupted the entire neighborhood,” Gibson said in the statement.

Gibson, in his statement, thanked the FBI and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security for investigating the shooting at his home. The councilman’s house was allegedly shot 13 times in what appears to be a politically motivated shooting over a proposed data center in the city’s Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood.

Gibson, in his statement, has also said that, “I understand that public service can bring strong opinions and disagreement, but violence is never the answer, especially when it puts families at risk.”

The Indianapolis police said that officers were called to Gibson’s house at around 9 a.m. on April 6th. Officers found evidence of gunshots and believed it was “an isolated targeted incident.” The authorities also said that the suspect has yet to be identified.

Gibson is currently serving his third term in the City-County Council. Gibson is a Democrat who was elected in 2023. Gibson represents a district where rezoning of a data center built by developer Metrobloks is set to take place. City leaders last week approved rezoning for the project, that Gibson has publicly backed.

A few days before the incident occurred, Gibson went to advocate for the rezoning at a Metropolitan Development Commission meeting at 2025 N. Sherman Drive, where developer Metrobloks LLC plans to build a data center and other business offices. When Gibson stepped up to speak, he was met with disapproval from the crowd. While speaking, Gibson mentioned the possibility of 300 jobs at the data center.

When the room was asked to stand if they disapproved of the project, the majority stood. Despite the opposition, the Metropolitan Development Commission approved the rezoning for the data center.