Oats
COLUMBUS, Ind. — A local man who pleaded guilty to four counts of Level 3 felony aggravated battery when the assault poses a substantial risk of death for shooting four people in a 2023 drive-by shooting in Lincoln Park has received a 38-year prison sentence.
Edmarius Oats, 21, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, was initially also charged with attempted murder, but that charge was dropped as part of a plea bargain agreement.
Bartholomew Superior Court Judge Jim Worton sentenced Oats to the advisory sentence of 9.5 years in prison for each shooting victim and ordered that it be served consecutively in the Indiana Department of Corrections.
Level 3 felonies carry a minimum of a 3 year prison sentence to a maximum of 16 years, with an advisory sentence of 9 years.
On May 23, 2023, four young people were shot during a drive-by shooting near a Lincoln Park basketball court, at a time when the park was filled with more than 100 people playing softball, basketball and visiting the Hamilton Ice Rink, according to court records. Police identified the victims as 18-year-old Gavin Hardin, 23-year-old Tyler Hamm and two juveniles, ages 16 and 17. While three of the four victims were flown by Lifeline helicopter to Indianapolis hospitals, all victims survived the shooting and have recovered.
After the sentencing, Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay released the following statement:
“Today’s sentence sends a clear message: reckless acts of violence will not be tolerated in our community. The defendant carried out a drive-by shooting at a public park, turning a place where young people play basketball into a war zone. He deliberately opened fire from a moving vehicle striking four victims and leaving lasting scars on them, their loved ones and this community. This was not a momentary lapse in judgment—it was a calculated and cowardly attack fueled by anger and ego. By removing him from our streets for decades, the court has ensured that our community is safer and that the victims and their families can begin to heal knowing justice has been served.”
She thanked the Columbus Police
Department, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, and “all investigators who worked tirelessly on this case. Their commitment, along with the cooperation of witnesses and community members, was instrumental in securing this conviction and ensuring accountability for such a senseless act of violence.”
Oats, of 3464 Old Field Lane, Columbus, was identified as the shooter by individuals at the scene and investigators, and the driver of the car was identified as then-18-year-old Alexander Parker, of 512 Pence St., Columbus, who has also entered into a plea bargain in the case.
Parker agreed to plead guilty to one Level 5 felony of assisting a criminal and in exchange, the prosecution agreed to dismiss four Level 3 felony counts of aggravated battery, against him, according to court records. Parker is scheduled to be sentenced at 10 a.m. Sept. 10 in Bartholomew Superior Court 1.
A probable cause affidavit states Oats was jealous of Hardin regarding a girl, which led to the drive-by shooting, according to court records.
This story will be updated.
