What police say happened in double shooting that killed IFD firefighter, 42-year-old woman

Update:This article was updated Jan. 4, 2024 with more information about the case.

The brother of an Indianapolis firefighter has been arrested in the fatal double shooting of the first responder and a 42-year-old woman found inside a crashed pickup on Monday, according to court records.  

Jason Dante Lapsley, 52, is jailed on two counts of murder after his arrest by Indianapolis police just hours after the shooting. Newly filed court records reveal Lapsley was a passenger in the GMC Sierra and told relatives he thought the pickup was being stolen when he fired the shots that killed Justin Boyd II, 45, and Jasmine Ivy-Dede, 42.

Boyd was nearing his 10th year in the fire department at the time of his killing. Ivy-Dede worked in health care administration as well as law and public affairs, according to her LinkedIn page. In 2015, she was selected for the Bose McKinney & Evans Diversity Fellowship to receive an internship at the law firm.

Lapsley did not have an attorney listed as of Thursday afternoon. The Marion County Prosecutor's Office later charged him with two counts of murder.

What police say happened

Officers responded about 6 a.m. Monday to the reported vehicle crash at Michigan Road and Grandview Drive, where they found Boyd and Ivy-Dede. Emergency medical personnel pronounced them dead on the scene. Their deaths were among the city's first homicides of the new year.

Police in a preliminary probable cause affidavit said while at the scene of the wreck, a 911 call came in from a man stating he had shot someone trying to carjack him and his brother. Officers searched the area where the caller said the shooting occurred but did not find anyone. Investigators traced the phone number, which was linked to Lapsley due to a stolen vehicle report he made in November for a white Kia.

Police noted a key fob for a Kia and two handguns were located near Boyd and Ivy-Dede's bodies.

Interviews with relatives revealed Boyd was having a get-together at his home and was likely driving Lapsley and Ivy-Dede home. Lapsley told relatives he had fallen asleep on his ride home and when he woke up, "two different people were in the car" and the driver did not look like his brother. Lapsley told family members he had asked where his brother was and didn't receive an answer. The woman in the car, Lapsley described, then began making clicking sounds like a gun.

Lapsley asked once again where his brother was, the affidavit stated, and when he didn't get a response, he fired the shots.

"I didn't want to do it, but I got them both," Lapsley later told a family member, according to police.

While still at the scene of the crash, a detective was told where Lapsley had gone and also was provided a recorded conversation of him describing what happened. Police in the affidavit said Lapsley discussed being in the vehicle, shooting the people in front of him and having blood on his coat.

Lapsley was taken into custody and requested an attorney when asked by police for an interview.

A 'well-loved member' of the fire department

Boyd had served as an engineer with the Indianapolis Fire Department since May 2014 and spent the majority of his career at the sixth station near 96th Street. He made a point to mentor new firefighters, prompting many requests from recruits to be placed at his station, the department said.

For the past eight years, he served on a fire marshal team that worked football games at Lucas Oil to monitor fire safety during Colts games, including the most recent game on Sunday against the Raiders.

"(Boyd) was known for his gift of gab, sense of humor and for encouraging young men who came through the shop to consider joining the fire service - most especially the IFD," the department said.

His mentorship extended outside his peers, the department said, including a time in 2019 when Boyd saw a teenage boy outside Lucas Oil and realized he needed help. Boyd arranged for him to stay in a hotel and contacted social services, which led to the young man finding housing. He eventually reconnected with his family.

In a statement, Chief Ernest Malone said his death left the department devastated.

"Justin was a well-loved member of this department and proudly served for 10 years as a firefighter," Malone's statement said. "Our heartfelt thoughts also go out to the family of the other victim involved in this tragedy. Please know you have our prayers as well. For those of us who served with Justin, we are at a complete loss for words. He will be sorely missed.”

Boyd is survived by his wife and two children.

Anyone with further information about the killings is asked to contact Detective Michael Wright at 317-327-3475 or michael.wright@indy.gov.

Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at 317-503-7514 or sarah.nelson@indystar.com