Deaf Indianapolis man Ryan Hawkins tragically killed in road rage shooting
On Wednesday, May 1, a 35-year-old Deaf man named Ryan Hawkins was tragically shot and killed while he was driving on an interstate in Indianapolis. His death has touched many people who knew him in the Deaf community. Ryan attended the Indiana School for the Deaf and went to Gallaudet University, where he graduated in 2013.
The alleged shooter is a 24-year-old man named Andrew Briski (hearing). He was arrested on Friday and is charged with murder. He admitted to police that he shot and killed Hawkins during a road rage incident.
What happened? I will explain a recap based on statements from the Indiana State Police, eyewitnesses who talked with police, and local news reports.
Hawkins was driving alone in a Hyundai Elantra on I-65. It was around 1:15 p.m.
Briski was driving a Ford Explorer on I-65. In the passenger seat was a woman named Shawna Rowland. There was a third person in the Explorer, who is a family member of Briski. There was a fourth person in the Explorer as well.
It is not clear exactly what happened between the vehicles to trigger a road rage incident, but police said eyewitnesses saw that Hawkins’ car was moving away from the Explorer before the Explorer sped up to be closer to Hawkins.
Now, the family member of Briski, who was in the Explorer, later told police that she saw Hawkins make hand gestures to Briski as he passed them. Rowland, who was in the passenger seat, told Briski to speed up and follow Hawkins’ car.
The fourth passenger in the Explorer saw that Briski had a gun and tried to talk him out of following Hawkins, but Briski told the passenger, “F— that” and started shooting.
A witness, who was in another vehicle on the interstate, saw the driver of the Explorer extend his arm outside the vehicle and shoot a silver handgun toward Hawkins’ vehicle. The witness saw Hawkins slumped over.
Hawkins’ car veered off the interstate and crashed, causing Hawkins to be ejected from the car. The car entered a nearby pond.
First responders declared Hawkins dead at the scene. His car was removed from the pond and it had bullet holes on its side. According to a court document, Hawkins died from a gunshot wound to the neck.
The witness who saw the shooting incident followed the Explorer to see what the people inside the vehicle looked like. The witness gathered descriptions of a man and a woman, which police later identified as Briski and Rowland.
Police were able to identify the Explorer from cameras on the highway that captured it shortly after the shooting incident. It’s this picture.
Surveillance video showed that Briski went to a gas station shortly after the shooting. He is seen in pictures using an ATM machine and holding a phone.
Police said he left his Explorer and fled by walking on a road. He was seen on several surveillance cameras walking on the side of a road, holding his phone. See these pictures.
[Full-screen images showing Briski at a gas station and walking on the side of a road.]
Police said after Briski left the vehicle, Rowland drove it to Briski’s mother’s home and tried to alter its appearance by removing window stickers.
The family member who was in the Explorer (the third person) contacted police on May 2, the day after the incident, and gave her account. This is what I shared earlier. That family member said she didn’t immediately call the police because she was in shock, scared, and couldn’t believe that Briski killed an innocent man.
Also on May 2, Rowland called police and said she wanted to turn herself in. Rowland was charged with assisting a criminal and obstruction of justice for hiding the murder weapon and/or altering the Explorer by removing the stickers.
When police located and searched the Explorer, they saw an empty 40 caliber Smith and Wesson magazine in it. The magazine matched the description of the gun used in the shooting. Police also found the crumpled stickers that were ripped off the vehicle.
Police tracked down a home that Briski was sleeping at (likely his mother’s home) and during a search warrant, found a gunbox with 47 cartridges of ammunition in a bedroom where Briski was sleeping at.
Police then found Briski at a medical facility and arrested him.
During a police interview, Briski confessed to the shooting. He said, “I did it. I didn’t mean to. I was afraid that we were going to crash and die.” Briski told police that he was acting in self-defense because the other car was “brake-checking” him but that he regrets shooting his gun.
Briski was charged with murder and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Briski and Rowland are scheduled for trial on July 15. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office is leading the prosecution.
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There is a GoFundMe set up by Scotty Keller, a friend of Ryan Hawkins, to help Ryan’s family. The GoFundMe said Ryan was able to be friends with various people, and was loyal to his family and friends and to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It said Ryan had a love for the outdoors, woodworking, and his community and had big dreams. It said Ryan’s life was taken away “fast, unexpected, and unjustly. As a result, his family and his friends were left behind. Ryan would never do that, so this fundraiser is for him to help him take care of his family and his matters in his absence.”
Ryan Hawkins’ brother Drew and sister Paige gave statements to WISHTV News. Drew said Ryan connected with everyone and was a beautiful soul. Paige said Ryan was a light in her life.
The Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind posted a tribute to Ryan on Facebook. It said the organization is grieving the passing of Ryan, who was their former team member. It said Ryan’s family will be coordinating a celebration of life in Colorado this coming July and will share details with the community.
Now, on a personal note, I knew Ryan. We happened to be in the same class at Gallaudet in 2009 or 2010. He stood out because of his wit and ability to engage in good discussions about subjects we covered. It is truly tragic what happened.
GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/ryan-hawkins-and-family
News Articles:
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