Brett Scrogham had every reason to look forward to the future. At just 23 years old, the Greenwood, Indiana native had recently graduated from the IU Kelley School of Business as one of its top 100 students, landed a position as a Development Analyst at Kittle Property Group, and was building the kind of career in commercial real estate that reflected years of deliberate, focused effort.
On a Thursday evening in late May 2026, he was simply heading to meet his parents at an Indianapolis Indians game at Victory Field. He never made it.
Scrogham was shot inside a parking garage at 101 S. Capitol Ave. in downtown Indianapolis. A witness heard a gunshot and saw a man fleeing the scene.
Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department found Scrogham critically wounded on an upper floor of the garage. He died on Sunday, May 31, becoming the second homicide victim in downtown Indianapolis in less than a week.
A Young Man Who Lived With Purpose
Those who knew Brett describe someone whose character was impossible to ignore. His neighbor, Robyn Collier, remembered him as the young man who helped rescue her dogs during a house fire.
“The world needs more Bretts,” she said. “We don’t need more violence.”
His classmate James Wilson spoke of a friend who drove 12 hours to Georgia to be present at his wedding, the kind of gesture that speaks louder than words ever could.
Wilson described Brett as deeply faith-driven, someone who carried a servant’s heart into every relationship and opportunity. His professional journey reflected that same intentionality.
He had interned at Simon Property Group, one of the largest REITs in the country, where he studied commercial leases, tenant strategy, and the financial decisions behind major real estate portfolios. Before that, he worked with Valbridge Property Advisors and even attended an intern summit in Minneapolis.
Through the Commercial Real Estate Workshop at IU Indianapolis, he tackled complex development cases involving Tax Increment Funding, projecting costs, building pro formas, and pitching to real panels of industry professionals.
He wasn’t just going through the motions of a business degree. He was preparing for something real.
A City Forced to Reckon With Its Violence
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett issued a statement expressing sorrow over Scrogham’s death, calling the shooting a random act of violence against an innocent person enjoying what the city has to offer.
His death came just days after Gregory Anderson was fatally shot in the city’s bar district on the morning of the Indy 500, with two others wounded in that same incident.
As of the start of June, IMPD had investigated 38 homicides in 2026, down from 50 at the same point the previous year, though that figure offers little comfort to those grieving Brett’s absence.
Police detained and released one person at the scene. Investigators are still seeking information and have urged anyone with tips to contact IMPD at (317) 327-3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-8477.
Brett Scrogham spent his short life showing up for others, studying hard, and building toward a future that deserved to happen.
The community that raised him is left to mourn what was taken and demand better from a city still struggling to protect the people who call it home.
