IMPD: Man, woman dead after murder-suicide on Indy’s far east side

INDIANAPOLIS — Police are investigating a suspected murder-suicide that left a man and woman dead on the far east side of Indianapolis Thursday night.

Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were dispatched around 6:56 p.m. to the 2900 block of Mitthoefer Road in response to reports that a person had been shot in the area.

IMPD said officers arrived and found both victims suffering from gunshot wounds inside a garage of the residence. The man was pronounced dead on the scene and the woman was transported to an area hospital where she was listed in critical condition.

Late Friday morning, the coroner confirmed the woman died at the hospital.

The deceased man was identified as 51-year-old Juan C. Perez Mendez. The deceased woman was identified as 47-year-old Claudia Perez Lopez.

John Arvin with IMPD confirmed that Mendez was the individual who fired the weapon. The shooting reportedly stemmed from a domestic situation between the man and woman, with their adult daughter telling dispatch that they had been arguing since Thursday afternoon.

The daughter was inside the house and heard gunshots ring out from the garage. Arvin confirmed that officers located a firearm next to Mendez.

Arvin said homicide detectives remain on the scene and will collect evidence as they continue investigating the circumstances of Thursday’s deadly incident.

Arvin reassured community members experiencing domestic violence that there are services available that can make a difference.

“The message we really want to get out is there are so many services available for family counseling,” Arvin said. “We don’t need to get it to this level. If people could maybe take advantage of these services, we could prevent a tragedy like this.”

Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to contact the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or call Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS (8477).

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