Krystal Walton Obituary, Death; – A man facing charges for the murder of a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy while in custody is currently on trial for a separate homicide that led to his incarceration.
Orlando Mitchell is accused of fatally shooting Krystal Walton, the mother of his then-1-year-old son, outside a daycare facility in Indianapolis on September 16, 2022. Mitchell has been charged with the murder of 32-year-old Walton at the Charity Child Care located on the near west side of Indianapolis.
According to police reports, Walton had just dropped off her children at the daycare at 959 N. Holmes Ave., near 10th Street, when she was shot by Mitchell in the parking lot around 7:30 a.m. Multiple witnesses, including children, were present during the incident.
Court documents indicate that Mitchell’s mother arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting. She reportedly informed officers that she had not been in contact with her son for a month due to his threats to kill Walton and commit a “murder-suicide.” She allegedly recounted that Mitchell had stated,
“If he couldn’t see his son, she wasn’t gonna be in his life either.” Following this, she provided officers with a description of his vehicle. Later that same day, around 10:20 a.m., police received a community tip regarding a vehicle matching Mitchell’s description, which was located near 10th and North Delaware streets. The caller reported that a man associated with the vehicle claimed he “had killed his girlfriend at 10th and Holmes.”
Officers responded to the area and located Mitchell along with a car that matched the suspect’s description. IMPD Officers Taylor and Jones were the first to arrive on the scene. Bodycam footage from the incident was recorded by both officers.
According to IMPD, Taylor and Jones were instructed to wait for backup; however, while they were waiting, Mitchell exited his vehicle armed with an AR-15 style rifle. Although the rifle was not visible in the bodycam footage, officers can be heard commanding Mitchell to “drop the weapon.” Subsequently, Mitchell allegedly aimed the firearm at the officers, prompting them to discharge their weapons, resulting in Mitchell being struck.