Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Suspect in Indianapolis Officer’s Death

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a suspect charged in the 2020 killing of an Indianapolis police officer fatally shot while responding to a domestic violence call.

“The Marion County Prosecutor’s office filed the request Tuesday asking for the death penalty against Elliahs Dorsey, who is charged in the April 9, 2020, killing of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer Breann Leath,” the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Twenty-four-year-old Leath and three fellow officers were responding to the call involving Dorsey when she was shot to death through an apartment door, authorities said.

Leath was the first Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officer killed in the line of duty since 2014, the Indianapolis Star reported at the time.

The AP article continued:

Dorsey, 27, faces one count each of murder and criminal confinement, and four counts of attempted murder, one of which stems from his alleged shooting of a woman he had confined inside the apartment, according to a probable cause affidavit. Dorsey’s trial is tentatively scheduled to begin Feb. 1.

In death penalty requests, prosecutors must show there was an aggravating circumstance. In this instance, they said Dorsey killed Leath while she “was acting in the course of duty as a law enforcement officer.”

In a statement following the prosecutors’ announcement on Tuesday, the IMPD drew attention to Leath’s service to the residents of Indianapolis.

“While many will focus on the person accused of this crime, the attention this announcement brings is an opportunity to again reflect on all that Officer Breann Leath gave to her community in her all-too-short time with us,” the department said:

“She was committed to running towards danger when others would run away. She was committed to helping her fellow man, woman, and child. Officer Breann Leath will always represent the spirit of IMPD and will always be remembered,” the agency concluded.