https://progressiveindiana.net
SUMMARY:
Solo again without Pastor Greene, Rev. Tony Alexander devotes the first two-thirds of the hour to the police-involved shooting death of 21-year-old Dalys Jett on July 22nd, bringing in Pastor Davanta Scruggs — Jett’s cousin and family representative — to lay out what the family knows, what they’ve been told, and what keeps shifting. The picture that emerges is one of a rapidly changing official narrative: IMPD initially said Jett fired at officers, then acknowledged it could not definitively say he fired the gun allegedly found in his possession, and confirmed that at least one officer was shot by friendly fire from a fellow officer. A meeting for the family to view the raw body-worn camera footage — promised after the second injured officer was discharged from the hospital — has been postponed because that officer has not yet given her statement, a condition the family says was not disclosed when the viewing was originally scheduled. As of airtime, no new date has been set. The family has asked for the footage by Friday, August 7th — the day of a press conference and candlelight vigil at Hovey Street Church of Christ — with the celebration of life for Dalys Jett at New Direction Church on Saturday, August 8th at noon. In the final segment, Rev. Alexander pivots to the Dr. Fauci congressional hearings, the Bovino mass deportation rally debacle, and a broader commentary on discrimination and accountability.
WHAT’S INSIDE
00:00:00 Station ID and program open
- Rev. Alexander opens solo — Pastor Greene is traveling — leads opening prayer for the family of Dalys Jett and for community-police trust.
- Preview: officer-involved shooting of Dalys Jett, July 22nd; guest Pastor Davanta Scruggs representing the family.
00:04:34 Local News Coverage
- Rev. Alexander plays a WTHR (Channel 13) report by Ashton Hackman covering the family’s request to view body cam video.
- Report notes: two officers were shot, one by accidental friendly fire from a fellow officer; the second injured officer was discharged Monday.
- Pastor Scruggs, speaking in the clip: IMPD’s account keeps shifting; the family wants to see body cam footage before the narrative hardens.
- IMPD statement in the clip: committed to transparency; delay is to protect investigative integrity and respect all parties; sharing footage is required under state law.
00:06:31 Introducing Pastor Davanta Scruggs — family member and representative
- Rev. Alexander introduces Pastor Davanta Scruggs, who is both the family’s representative and Dalys Jett’s cousin; Jett’s father is Scruggs’s uncle.
- Scruggs: the family has endured a devastating tragedy and is at a loss for words; the Concerned Clergy’s condolences and heartfelt grief are extended.
- As of 7:08 p.m., the family has received no answers and no confirmed date to view the body cam footage.
00:09:49 Dalys Jett — who he was and what the family knows
- Scruggs confirms he is part of the family, not just a representative. Dalys Jett was his little cousin; his father is Scruggs’s uncle.
- The family will not speak to the facts of the case until they see the footage — not because they don’t have opinions, but because they want to respond to evidence, not speculation.
- IMPD has issued multiple conflicting accounts and has retracted some of them over the course of the investigation.
00:10:17 What actually happened on July 22nd — the shifting narrative
- Rev. Alexander recaps the known reporting: Jett was near 38th and Franklin, reportedly going back to retrieve his wallet with the mother of his child when law enforcement was called.
- Ring doorbell footage showed three to four officers surrounding Jett; the footage did not clearly show whether he pulled a weapon.
- IMPD initially stated Jett fired at officers. IMPD has since said it cannot definitively confirm that Jett fired the gun allegedly in his possession.
- IMPD confirmed that at least one officer was struck by friendly fire from a fellow officer — raising further questions about the original account.
- Scruggs: IMPD’s narrative has changed multiple times. That is exactly why the family needs to see the footage.
00:14:28 The postponed viewing — what the family was promised and what happened
- A meeting was scheduled for Thursday, July 30th for the family to view the raw body cam footage — before any community-facing edited release.
- That meeting was postponed. IMPD’s stated reason: the injured officer had not yet reviewed all the footage or given her statement — a condition IMPD had not disclosed when the meeting was set.
- Scruggs: the family learned the officer had been discharged from the hospital the same way everyone else did — through the media. IMPD did not contact them.
- Chief Terry was unequivocal: the footage would not be shown until the officer has seen it and given her statement. No timeline for that statement has been provided.
- The family had agreed to hold off on public statements if IMPD showed them the footage by August 5th. That did not happen.
00:23:11 Weekend events — press conference, vigil, and celebration of life
- Friday, August 7th, Hovey Street Church of Christ: press conference at 5 p.m.; candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. Dalys’s mother and father will speak. Partners: Live Free Indy, the Black Church Coalition, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL).
- Saturday, August 8th, New Direction Church — Triumph Center, 5330 East 38th Street, Indianapolis: viewing 9 a.m.–12 p.m.; celebration of life at 12 p.m.
- Scruggs’s ask to listeners: post on social media calling on IMPD to release the body cam footage of the killing of Dalys Jett; come out this weekend to stand with the family.
- Rev. Alexander: the family needs answers before they close the casket. The community needs accountability before the narrative hardens around the initial — and now discredited — reports.
00:34:08 No response to the family’s Friday deadline
- As of airtime, IMPD has not responded to the family’s request for footage by Friday, August 7th.
- Rev. Alexander: we want speedy recovery for the injured officers and speedy answers for this family. Both matter.
00:38:16 Dr. Fauci hearings — credit, blame, and the fifth
- Rev. Alexander pivots to the congressional hearings with Dr. Fauci from the prior week, in which Fauci pleaded the fifth.
- His argument: Trump took public credit repeatedly for Operation Warp Speed and the vaccine rollout. Now supporters blame Fauci for those same decisions. Trump talked about bleach and horse pills; Fauci did not.
- Fauci pleaded the fifth because Republicans had pre-announced their intent to imprison him — any answer could be twisted into contempt or perjury. He still showed up and was respectful.
- Contrast: Trump cabinet members routinely storm into hearings with attack binders (e.g., Pam Bondi) and refuse to answer legitimate questions. Fauci simply invoked his constitutional right.
00:44:19 ICE shootings, the Iran cyberattack, and scapegoating
- Rev. Alexander connects the Fauci hearing to a broader pattern: in the ICE shootings in Minnesota, the administration blamed victims before any investigation; in a cyberattack on water utilities, the federal government’s own cybersecurity agency concluded Iran was the source — Trump blamed Minnesota.
- The pattern: blame political enemies, protect political allies, regardless of the facts.
00:49:52 The Bovino Fishers rally debacle
- Greg Bovino — former CBP commander — held his mass deportation rally last Saturday, which had been advertised in Fishers. It was moved repeatedly, finally held in a muddy field under a tent.
- $50 to $500 admission. State Representative Jim Lucas, scheduled to speak, did not — and called the event a sham; his wife twisted her ankle in the mud.
- Rev. Alexander: Bovino no longer holds any position. He has no power to deport anyone. What exactly did attendees get for their money?
00:52:55 Program close
- Rev. Alexander closes with a pointed observation: people are literally playing in the mud to go after people they don’t like.
