NOW WELCOME BACK. THE CITY OF
INDIANAPOLIS GRIEVING TONIGHT
THE LOSS OF A HERO AND I MPD
OFFICER KILLED IN THE LINE OF
DUTY TODAY. THESE ARE LIVE
PICTURES FROM THE EAST SIDE OF
INDIANAPOLIS. THIS IS THE
APARTMENT COMPLEX WHERE OFFICER
BRIANNA LEIF WAS SHOT AND
KILLED THIS AFTERNOON. SHE LOST
HER LIFE RESPONDING TO A
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CALL.
OFFICERS STILL THERE ON THE
SCENE INVESTIGATED. A SUSPECT
IS NOW IN CUSTODY AS WE
CONTINUE TO COVER THIS TRAGIC
STORY. TODAY WE'VE GOT EMILY
LONG NECK. SHE WAS AT THE
NEWS CONFERENCE THAT JUST
WRAPPED UP A COUPLE OF MINUTES
AGO WHERE THE CHIEF AND THE
MAYOR TALKED ABOUT AND EMILY
THAT WAS REALLY EMOTIONAL OUT
THERE AND ASKING, WASN'T IT? IT
WAS SCOTT. IT WAS JUST A SOMBER
AND TERRIBLE AFTERNOON. CITY
LEADERS ARRIVING TO THE PRESS
CONFERENCE WEARING MASKS
REMINDING US OF JUST A STRANGE
TIMES THAT WE'RE LIVING IN
RIGHT NOW. OF COURSE TAKING OFF
THEIR MASKS TO MAKE THIS
TERRIBLE ANNOUNCEMENT. THE
DEATH BY MPD OFFICER BRIANNA
LEAD THE SHOT TODAY WHILE
ANSWERING A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
CALL. WE'RE TOLD THAT SHE HAD
BEEN ON THE FORCE FOR TWO AND A
HALF YEARS. SHE IS A MOTHER.
SHE WANTED TO BE AN OFFICER,
WE'RE TOLD SINCE SHE WAS A
LITTLE GIRL. SHE'S ALSO A
VETERAN PART OF THE ARMY
NATIONAL GUARD, A GRADUATE OF
SOUTHPORT HIGH SCHOOL. WE'RE
ALSO TOLD SHE COMES FROM A
FAMILY OF GREAT PUBLIC SERVICE.
HER MOTHER A LONGTIME NINE ONE
ONE OPERATOR, HER DAD A MARION
COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY RIGHT
NOW THE CHIEF CALLED HER A KIND
AND LOVING OFFICER. AN EXAMPLE
OF THE KIND OF OFFICER WE WANT
ON THE FORCE. THE MAYOR
REMINDING THE PUBLIC THAT SHE
WAS A TRUE HERO. HERE'S WHAT
ELSE HE HAD TO SAY THIS
AFTERNOON AT 246 PM A CALL WENT
OUT ON THE RADIO. THERE COULD
BE NO DOUBT TO ANY WHO HEARD
IT. THE DANGER LAY ON THE OTHER
END OF THAT ADDRESS FOR SO MANY
OF US DANGER IS A THING TO BE
AVOIDED. NOT SO FOR OFFICER
BRIANNE LEITH. THAT'S BECAUSE
RATHER THAN TURN AWAY, OFFICER
LEAF TURNED TOWARD THE DANGER
SHE HEARD THE CALL AND SHE WENT
BRAVELY TOWARD THAT WHICH COULD
DO HER HARM. BECAUSE SHE KNEW
IF SHE DIDN'T HARM MAY COME TO
OTHERS AND THE MAYOR ORDERING
ALL FLAGS IN THE CITY TONIGHT
TO BE LOWERED TO HALF STAFF NOW
MONUMENT CIRCLE AND OTHER
BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN WERE SET TO
BE LIT UP IN BLUE TO TO HONOR
OUR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIALS
DURING THIS TIME DURING THE
CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC. OF
COURSE THAT LIGHTING TONIGHT
JUST TAKING ON A COMPLETELY NOW
EVEN BIGGER MEANING IN LIGHT OF
THIS. THE MAYOR CALLING OFFICER
LEITH A TRUE HERO SAYING THAT
SHE MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
FOR A GRATEFUL CITY. SCOTT
YEAH, WE ARE CERTAINLY GRATEFUL
FOR BRIANNE LEAFS LIFE AND HER
DEDICATION TO PROTECTING ALL OF
US. EMILY, THANKS SO MUCH. WE
WANT TO TURN OUR ATTENTION NOW
TO THE APARTMENT COMPLEX WHERE
THIS DEADLY GUNFIRE ERUPTED
THIS AFTERNOON. STEVE JEFFERSON
HAS BEEN THERE ALL AFTERNOON
AND STEVE, IT JUST REMINDS US
HOW DANGEROUS IT IS FOR THESE
OFFICERS. THEY GET A 9 1 1
CALL. THEY'RE TOLD TO GO OUT
THERE. THEY RUSH TO THE SCENE
AND SHE LOST HER LIFE TODAY.
YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT, SCOTT.
OFFICER LEAVE RESPONDED TO A
CALL HERE AT THE APARTMENT
COMPLEX ABOUT DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE. WHEN SHE GOT HERE,
OBVIOUSLY SHE HAD NO IDEA WHAT
SHE WOULD FACE RIGHT NOW HERE
AT THE APARTMENT COMPLEX. THE
INVESTIGATION THE CRIME SCENE
IS BEING PROCESSED HERE. WE
HAVE LEARNED JUST A FEW DETAILS
ABOUT WHAT OFF THE OFFICER FACE
WHEN SHE GOT HERE. THE CALL
CAME FROM A WOMAN HERE AT THE
COMPLEX WHO SAYS SHE NEEDED
HELP BECAUSE SHE WAS IN AN
ALTERCATION WITH A MALE
SUBJECT. NOW WHEN OFFICER LEITH
GOT HERE. SHE RESPONDED TO
THEIR SECOND FLOOR APARTMENT.
NOW FROM WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD,
SHE NEVER KNEW THE DANGER THAT
WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT
DOOR BECAUSE BEFORE SHE COULD
EVEN GET TO THE APARTMENT.
SHOTS RANG OUT AND SHE SUFFERED
SOME GUNSHOT WOUNDS THAT ENDED
UP LEAVING HER FATALLY INJURED.
NOW WE ALSO LEARNED THAT DURING
THAT GUNFIRE THE WOMAN WHO
CALLED FOR HELP. ALSO ENDED UP
HIT BY GUNFIRE. BOTH OF THEM
TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL.
NOW WE ARE ALSO TOLD THAT THE
PERSON THEY BELIEVE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE SHOOTING, THEY HAVE HIM
IN CUSTODY. AGAIN, THIS WAS A
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CALL THAT
OFFICER LEITH RESPONDED TO.
IRONICALLY, SHE WAS JUST ON THE
TELEPHONE ON A CELL PHONE CALL
WITH ANOTHER OFFICER WHO MANY
OFFICERS TELL ME IS HER BEST
FRIEND. THEY ALWAYS CHECKED ON
EACH OTHER ESPECIALLY DURING
THIS TIME WHERE PEOPLE ARE
BEING TOLD TO STAY AT HOME AND
ALL OF THE OFFICERS ARE
RESPONDING TO A LOT MORE
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CALLS.
OFFICER LEAVE SHE SHARED AN
APARTMENT WITH ANOTHER OFFICER
WHOM SHE WAS DATING AND HE
WORKS A DIFFERENT SHIFT. AND
OBVIOUSLY HE'S OBVIOUSLY
HEARTBROKEN AS WELL. HER MOTHER
AND HER FATHER AS EMILY LONG
NECK ARE MENTIONED ALSO AS
PUBLIC SERVANTS WHO WORK IN LAW
ENFORCEMENT. HER MOTHER AT THE
DISPATCH CENTER. HER FATHER AT
THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. THIS
HAS BEEN A VERY HARD DAY FOR A
LOT OF OFFICERS BUT THEY ARE
DEDICATED. THEY WILL CONTINUE
TO DO THEIR JOB AS THEY
CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF OFFICER
BRIANNA LEITH. BACK TO YOU IN
THE STUDIO. AND STEVE, AS YOU
AND EMILY BOTH MENTIONED, I
MEAN SHE WANTED TO BE A COP
SINCE SHE WAS A LITTLE GIRL. I
MEAN YOU SAID THAT THIS WAS HER
DREAM JOB WAS TO BE A POLICE
OFFICER. RIGHT. THAT'S
ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT OBVIOUSLY WAS KNOWN
FOR WAS HER LOVE FOR CHILDREN
AS WELL. EVERY TIME SHE HAD AN
OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH
CHILDREN AS A POLICE OFFICER,
SHE DID THAT. SHE MADE CHILDREN
FEEL VERY FEEL VERY HAPPY ABOUT
POLICE OFFICERS. SHE WANTED TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAD A GOOD
RELATIONSHIP, A GOOD
EXPERIENCE, A GOOD INTERACTION
WITH A POLICE OFFICER SO THAT
THEY WOULDN'T BE AFRAID OF THE
POLICE SO THAT THEY WOULD KNOW
THAT THE POLICE WAS HERE FOR
THEM EVERY DAY ANSWERING THOSE
CALLS LIKE THE CALL SHE
ANSWERED TODAY THAT ENDED UP