When Carmel police responded to a call July 27 that led to an officer shooting and killing a man who had just fatally shot his girlfriend and injured her mother, it was the second time they had been called to the home in the 14300 block of Riverrock Court that day.
According to audio recordings of emergency dispatchers communicating with Carmel Police Dept. officers, police were sent to the same house approximately six hours before the fatal shooting. The dispatcher said she’d received a call about an argument between a male and female and later reported that the female suffered a nose injury during the altercation. A daily report listing police activity confirms that CPD responded to an anonymous call about a disturbance at the home at 1:46 a.m., however a CPD spokesman said Cox was not at the home when they arrived and they were unable to locate her.
Shortly after 8 a.m., police were called back to the home on a report of someone threatening suicide. During the audio recording of communication between police and dispatchers at that time, the dispatcher says she heard “a lot of screaming” before hearing shots fired and a male ask, “Are you still alive?” Then the dispatcher reports hearing five more gunshots.
By the time police arrived, the suspect, Julio Cesar Virula, 26, had fatally shot his girlfriend, Taylor Leigh Cox, 28, and shot her mother, whose name police have not released. The mother survived. Virula then fled on foot through the Spring Creek neighborhood.
The dispatcher told officers the suspect was wearing a yellow shirt, black skinny jeans and had a man bun. Through other 911 calls police located Virula on another street in the neighborhood. Police said after Virula pointed a gun at them, an officer shot and killed him.
The officer who shot Virula has been temporarily reassigned during an administrative review of the incident.
CPD declined to comment on the 2 a.m. incident and other details of the case, as it is being prepared for presentation to the Hamilton County prosecutor.
“In order to protect the integrity of the case, we would like to reserve any comments until after that office has an opportunity to review the case and make a final determination regarding prosecution,” CPD Lt. J.J. Semester said.
