An Indianapolis man has been sentenced to decades in prison for a deadly road rage shooting that claimed the life of a deaf driver on Interstate 65 in 2024. The case, which shocked both the local community and the Deaf community nationwide, ended with a guilty plea and a lengthy prison term.
Andre Briski, 24, received a 45-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the murder of Ryan Hawkins, a 35-year-old deaf man who was shot during a road rage incident on May 1, 2024. The shooting happened along I-65 near Southport Road on the south side of Indianapolis. (WTHR)
According to investigators, Hawkins was driving a Hyundai Elantra when shots were fired from another vehicle during an escalating dispute between drivers. Hawkins was struck by a bullet in the neck, causing his vehicle to veer off the interstate and crash into a nearby pond. Emergency responders later pronounced him dead at the scene. (Hoodline)
Police said Briski later admitted to firing the gun during the confrontation, telling investigators he feared the vehicles might crash. Prosecutors said he fired multiple shots at Hawkins’ car before fleeing the scene. (WRTV Indianapolis)
Authorities also charged Shawna Rowland, who was in the vehicle with Briski, with assisting a criminal and obstruction of justice. Investigators alleged she attempted to alter the appearance of the vehicle after the shooting by removing identifying stickers. Her case remains separate from Briski’s sentencing. (Hoodline)
The killing drew widespread attention because Hawkins was a member of the Deaf community and had attended the Indiana School for the Deaf and later graduated from Gallaudet University. Friends and family described him as a kind and outgoing person who connected easily with others.
The tragic incident was first reported shortly after the shooting in a previous report: Deaf Man Shot and Killed in Road Rage in Indiana, which detailed the early stages of the investigation and the arrests that followed.
With Briski now sentenced, prosecutors say the case brings some closure to Hawkins’ family. However, the incident also serves as a sobering reminder of the deadly consequences that road rage incidents can have on public highways.
