Chris Beaty Dead, Former Indiana University Football Player Shot & Killed During Protest In Indianapolis
Chris Beaty is dead. On Monday, June 1, IndyStar reported that the 38-year-old former Indiana University football player was killed just before midnight on Saturday. He was found with multiple gunshot wounds at the corner of Talbott and Vermont streets and was pronounced dead at the scene. As of press time, it is unclear whether his death was the direct result of the protests that have erupted in downtown Indianapolis in response to George Floyd’s death at the hands of a white police officer. Floyd’s killing sparked outrage from communities over police brutality.
On Sunday morning, police confirmed they had made one arrest in connection with a fatal shooting. However, Beaty wasn’t the only person shot that night — 18-year-old Dorian Murrell also died as the result of gunshot wounds. Police did not indicate — as of this writing — which shooting the suspect was arrested in connection with.
R.I.P Chris Beaty
Was great guy, we had some good times at IU. You will be truly missed bro.— Eric Gordon (@TheofficialEG10) June 1, 2020
When news broke of Beaty’s passing, those associated with his time at IU took to Twitter to express their condolences and disbelief, including his fellow Hoosier, Eric Gordon — a contemporary star of IU basketball and current Houston Rocket. The Hoosiers football head coach, Tom Allen, released a statement about the incident, per ESPN.
“I am at a loss for words. The news of the passing of Chris Beaty is just devastating…His passion for life and Indiana Football energized me every time we were together. He was one of our first alumni that displayed his unwavering support for what we are building here at Indiana and how we are building it. I am so heartbroken for his family and he will be deeply missed by all those that were blessed to call him a friend!”
Beaty Was An Offensive Lineman From 2000-2004
Although Beaty played in an era of rebuilding for the IU football team — he played one year under Cam Cameron and then the rest of his tenure under Gerry DiNardo — he was part of a successful high school franchise. He graduated from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis in 2000 and helped his high school team win three 4A state championships in 1996, 1998, and 1999, as reported in IndyStar.
His true effect occurred in the locker room, however. In a separate article in IndyStar, Beaty’s IU teammates remembered him as bringing people together “regardless of background.” They said he fostered a sense of “comradeship and inclusiveness” that he carried with him long after his football days were over.
Those Who Knew Him Called Him ‘Mr. Indianapolis’
Beaty’s strength came in his affability, encouragement, and selflessness, his friends stated. He would connect people throughout the city and ensure he showed up “seemingly everywhere” around Indianapolis, from IU games to Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts. He used his connections to help his business ventures as well.
Up until 2018, he co-owned Revel nightclub with James Waldon, known as DJ GNO. Beaty established Waldon’s DJ personality by hiring him to work at Taps & Dolls, the nightclub where Beaty was employed at the time. The two also hosted numerous big names at Revel and even had a radio show together. Waldon now deejay’s for the Colts’ home games.
Beaty was also an entrepreneur. He founded Fresh Marketing in 2011 to promote various events throughout the city. Just recently, he started Worldwide Masks with a business partner to help create one-piece face coverings to help prevent the spread of germs, most notably the novel coronavirus. Friends said he was always looking for the “next thing to work on.”
“He was just a workhorse, seeking an opportunity to meet someone or to fill a need,” Fox59 Morning News anchor Angela Ganote said of her fellow Hoosier.
