INDIANAPOLIS -- More information has been released about what led to a fatal road rage shooting last week on I-65.
Two individuals, Andre Briski and Shawna Rowland, were arrested on Friday in relation to the shooting. Briski, an Indianapolis man, was charged with murder and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Rowland, a Greenwood woman, was charged with assisting a criminal and obstruction of justice.
On May 1, troopers with the Indiana State Police responded to a crash on I-65 north of Greenwood. Officials said at the time that a road rage incident led to a shooting, causing the death of 35-year-old Ryan Hawkins. After the shooting, Hawkins was ejected from the vehicle before it crashed into a nearby pond.
During the investigation into the shooting, troopers with the Indiana State Police interviewed a number of witnesses. One witness, who was driving ahead of where the incident occurred, told troopers that he saw the driver of a Ford Explorer extend his arm outside the vehicle and shoot a silver/chrome long-barreled handgun toward a passenger vehicle.
The witness said that he did not see any shots being fired from the other vehicle involved in the incident, but saw that the victim, later identified as Hawkins, was "slumped over" after the shooting. While the witness told police he did not witness the crash from his viewpoint, he did "observe a large 'splash' from the victim's vehicle entering a retention pond..."
An additional witness told police that she entered I-65 at the same time as the Ford Explorer, telling troopers she saw the Explorer following another vehicle closely. The witness told troopers that after some time, a person inside the Explorer drove up next to the vehicle and an occupant shot a handgun out of the window at the car.
The witness told police that after the shooting, she followed the Explorer and later gave troopers descriptions of a man, as well as a woman, who were inside. After some investigation, detectives identified the man and the woman as Briski and Rowland.
Troopers then tracked down a home that was associated with a "possible relative" of Briski's. During a search warrant, troopers reportedly found a gunbox with 47 cartridges of ammunition in the bedroom where Briski sleeps.
On May 2, a family member of Briski's told detectives she was in the vehicle when the shooting occurred. The documents said the family member saw a black passenger vehicle traveling behind them "too closely." The driver reportedly was making hand gestures to Briski and passed them.
The family member told troopers that Rowland told Briski to "speed up and follow the vehicle," despite the other passengers telling Briski it was not a good idea. Another passenger in the vehicle told troopers that he reportedly attempted to talk Briski out of using the gun.
"[The passenger] stated [Briski] responded with 'F--- that' and started shooting," the documents said.
The family member said that Briski pointed and shot the gun out of the window toward the driver. After firing the shots, he reportedly drove the Explorer past the passenger vehicle and the family member saw the driver of the black passenger vehicle "slumped over the steering wheel [with] his window shattered."
"I asked [the family member] why she did not call the police after the shooting," the documents read. "[The family member] explained she was in shock, scared and could not believe [that Briski] just killed an innocent man."
On May 2, Rowland reportedly called law enforcement in Johnson County stating that she wanted to turn herself in. Rowland was located in Franklin later that day and was taken to the Indiana State Police post in Indianapolis.
During an interview with police, she said that she would not speak with law enforcement until she had an attorney present.
As the investigation continued, officials located Briski at a medical facility on the east side of Indianapolis and he was taken into custody. During an interview with Briski, the documents said that he was frustrated by some of the questions asked and initially asked for an attorney.
"Without being questioned," the documents said, "he stated, 'you know what, I don't even give a f--- about that attorney, I'll tell you right here, I did it. I didn't mean to. I was afraid that we were going to crash and die'."
When Briski was asked to clarify what he meant, Briski reportedly told troopers that he defended himself and the other passengers with a gun. He later told troopers that he regrets shooting his gun and reportedly referred to his actions as a mistake.