On August 18, Indianapolis Police officers responded to a flood of 911 calls just before 2 am reporting that a man in a southeast neighborhood was erratically firing a gun in the street. Kenneth C. Anderson was in front of his mother’s house wielding three firearms; among them, an SKS assault weapon. Police later found his mother, Alice Anderson, dead near her home from a gun shot wound to the chest.

Tim Conley was the first officer to the scene. Before he could even set foot outside his vehicle, Anderson opened fire and attacked him with a barrage of bullets, hitting him in the stomach. Conley backed up the car, and immediately left the scene for care.

Moments later, Officers Timothy Laird and Kim Cissell approached the scene and were confronted with the same display of unforgiving fire. Cissell avoid injury, but Laird was fatally struck in the chest just above his protective vest as he sought refuge in Cissell’s car.

Anderson then turned down the street towards his own home, just blocks away. Three more officers and their cars were in his path. He took cover behind a Jeep in a neighbor’s driveway and once again began to fire recklessly in the direction of the officers. Officer Leon Essig was hit in the arm and Officer Andrew Troxell in his hand before Peter Koe, a SWAT team member on regular patrol that evening, ran to his trunk for his SWAT issued AR-15 assault riffle. Anderson fired upon Koe, striking him in the knee. Koe grabbed the riffle out of his trunk and returned fired, striking Anderson fatally in the head and the chest.

Just earlier that year, in mid-January, Police had been called to Anderson’s home after reports that he was behaving in a dangerous and combative manner. Although Police found no evidence of disturbance inside, Anderson appeared agitated and delusional as he falsely reported to Police that his two brothers and their families had been murdered. His mother reported to Police that he had repeatedly expressed fear that “everybody was trying to kill him,” and he had told friends that the police were “trying to get him.” During their investigation of the incident, they found and confiscated nine guns and more than 200 bullets. Police took Anderson to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and he was diagnosed as a schizophrenic. Because no charges were filed or arrests were made, and because Anderson was not involuntarily committed, Police were required to return the guns to Anderson under Indiana law.

At the time several officers expressed fear that Anderson was a danger to the public. The Indianapolis Star reported that in an email to IPD’s legal department, Officer Eric Strange wrote that he believed Anderson had an irrational fear that people in general, and specifically the police, were out to get him. They also reported that in a different email, another officer predicted Anderson’s involvement in a homicide “very soon,” and he wrote, “I just hope I don’t get dispatched to his house.”

Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, told Join Together Online, “There’s something wrong with the law that says you have to give [guns] back when he turns around and does exactly what you were afraid he was going to do.” There is a city investigation underway to examine why the weapons were returned to Anderson.

When asked why the guns were returned, Jill Clouse, legal advisor to Police Chief Jerry Barker told JTO, “Because the law required it, I had to adhere to that requirement.” She urges lawmakers to rewrite the law.

On a national level, the death of Timothy Laird has lead to calls for Congress to strengthen and renew the federal assault weapons ban set to expire on Sept. 13. Laird was killed by a bullet that came from an SKS assault weapon. Hoosiers Concerned about Gun Violence held a press conference on Aug. 24 to encourage lawmakers and law enforcement officials to take a stand on the issue. Kathy George, President of HCGV said “It’s not surprising that after last week’s tragedy [police] want to get these cop-killing weapons off our streets.”

John Johnson, Executive Director of Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence, participated in the press conference, and pointed out that although assault weapons makeup only 2 percent of gun sales, they are responsible for 20 percent of law enforcement deaths. An SKS assault riffle was also used in the killing of three Police Officers in Birmingham, Alabama earlier this summer as well. Indianapolis Police Chief Jerry Barker supports strengthening and renewal of the ban.

Both HCGV and IPGV are adamant that the Assault Weapons Ban be strengthened at the time of its renewal. Currently the ban outlaws only specific assault weapons and features. Other assault weapons, such as the SKS, are still legal. They advocate for a new ban that includes ALL assault weapons.

After two weeks, the people of Indianapolis are calmed, but still mourning for the loss of Officer Laird. Citizens in Indianapolis were overwhelmed with sympathy and grief for Laird, his family, and the other officers. Over 2,200, including 700 uniformed Police officers from around the state, attended his funeral.