Javon Cushenberry faces new charges tied to a second shooting after police said his ex-girlfriend was killed on the west side.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN — An Indianapolis man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and wounding another man now faces more charges after investigators said he shot and carjacked his cousin while on the run from police.
Javon Cushenberry, 39, was already wanted in the April 12 shooting that killed 33-year-old Rachael Rakes and left a man critically injured near Westbrook Avenue and West Washington Street. Court records and police updates say the case expanded after a second attack days later, when Cushenberry allegedly turned a family contact into another victim as officers continued searching for him.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were called about 12:38 a.m. April 12 to the 800 block of Westbrook Avenue on a report of a person shot. Officers found Rakes dead and another man injured. The Marion County Coroner’s Office later identified Rakes as the woman killed. Police said Cushenberry was considered armed and dangerous as the search widened. A family member later said Rakes’ relatives were trying to support one another while police looked for the suspected shooter. “My heart breaks for the whole family,” one relative wrote in a public post after the shooting.
Investigators said Cushenberry and Rakes had been in a relationship, and several local reports described her as his ex-girlfriend. Police have not released a full public account of what led to the Westbrook Avenue shooting. They also have not said whether the injured man was targeted because of his relationship to Rakes. Early police information said the man was critically injured. Prosecutors later filed charges in the homicide case, while police continued to ask the public for information on Cushenberry’s location. The search involved IMPD, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, according to public police updates.
The new case centers on what investigators say happened while Cushenberry was still being sought in the killing. A local reporter citing court documents said Cushenberry is accused of attempted murder and carjacking of his cousin three days after the Westbrook Avenue shooting. The allegation added a second violent episode to the same week and suggested police were dealing with a suspect who remained mobile after the homicide. Officials have not released the cousin’s name in the public summaries reviewed for this report. The cousin’s condition also was not clearly available in public reports.
The April 12 shooting began as a west side homicide investigation and quickly became a broader manhunt. Police described Cushenberry as a person who should be treated as armed and extremely dangerous. Public updates asked residents to contact police or Crime Stoppers if they knew where he was. Those requests followed the death of Rakes and the injury of the second victim, whose survival became a key part of the investigation. Officers also returned to the area as the case developed, according to public posts from local journalists covering the police response.
Cushenberry has a past record tied to gun violence in Marion County. In a 2007 Indiana Court of Appeals decision, judges reviewed his convictions from a 2005 case in which prosecutors said he drew a handgun and fired at a vehicle in an Indianapolis apartment complex. The court record said the vehicle was struck by bullets and one passenger was cut by shattered glass. That earlier case involved charges that included attempted battery, intimidation, criminal recklessness and carrying a handgun without a license. The appellate court affirmed part of the case and sent other parts back for further action.
The older case is not proof of guilt in the new allegations, but it is part of the public record now surrounding Cushenberry as prosecutors move forward. In the current case, he is presumed innocent unless proved guilty in court. Marion County prosecutors will have to prove the murder and attempted murder allegations with evidence, witness testimony and court filings. The defense will have a chance to challenge the state’s account, including the timeline, identification evidence and any statements collected during the search and arrest.
Police said Cushenberry was taken into custody after a community tip helped lead officers to him. The arrest came after several days of public warnings and reward notices. Authorities did not immediately release every detail of the arrest, including whether any weapon was recovered. The detention shifted the case from a manhunt to court proceedings, where prosecutors can pursue the homicide charge and the newer allegations tied to the cousin. Formal hearings will set the pace for discovery, bond issues and any trial date.
The scene on Westbrook Avenue is a residential stretch near one of the west side’s busiest corridors. The shooting drew police before dawn and left neighbors waking to a homicide investigation outside their homes. Family and friends posted photos and messages remembering Rakes after her name was released. Some described the shock of losing her suddenly, while others focused on raising support for relatives. Police did not release a detailed statement from Rakes’ family through official channels, and no public statement from Cushenberry’s attorney was available in the records reviewed.
The case now stands as two linked criminal investigations from the same week: the fatal shooting of Rachael Rakes on April 12 and the alleged shooting and carjacking of Cushenberry’s cousin days later. The next major step is in Marion County court, where prosecutors will press the filed charges and judges will set future hearing dates.
Author note: Last updated April 26, 2026.