Prosecutors seeking the death penalty in murder of Elwood police officer

MADISON CO. — The Madison County Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday it will seek the death penalty against the man accused of killing Elwood police officer Noah Shahnavaz.

Carl Roy Webb Boards II

Carl Roy Webb Boards II, 42, of Anderson, is charged with murder and several other crimes in connection to Shahnavaz’s death.

On Wednesday, the prosecutor’s office filed a Request for Death Sentence in the case against Boards by alleging, pursuant to Indiana Code, that Shahnavaz was “a law enforcement officer and was acting in the course of his duty,” Chief Deputy Prosecutor Andrew C. Hanna said in a statement.

Investigators say Boards got out of his car during a traffic stop on Sunday, July 31 in Elwood and fired at least 36 rounds at 24-year-old Officer Shahnavaz, fatally wounding him.

Officer Shahnavaz served in the military for five years before becoming an Elwood Police Officer. He had only been on the force for 11 months before he was shot and killed. However, his fellow servicemembers who affectionally called him “Shahny” said service to others was a calling for him.

Officer Noah Shahnavaz

Boards was arrested a short time later after a police chase.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is officer-at-crown-hill.jpg
Photo Provided/Crown Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery Aug. 6, 2022.

The Elwood Police Department in a statement announced Tuesday the department will purchase bullet-resistant windshields for its police vehicles.