INDIANAPOLIS — A mother is heartbroken after learning her son was shot over the weekend.
Elizabeth Greene, the mother of 19-year-old Jamear Owens, said her son was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I didn't even get to say goodbye to him. The last thing I saw of my son was a tattoo," said Greene.
Metro police said multiple people were shot, one fatally, early Sunday at a business on South Madison Avenue.
"I got a call, and I said 'Hello.' It was silent. I called the number back, and my son was crying, and he said, 'Jamear is gone.' I said, 'What?' He said, 'Ma, Jamear is gone.' I said, 'What are you talking about?' He said, 'Ma, Jamear is dead," said Greene.
Greene said she sent her sons on an errand for her business Saturday night.
Instead of coming home right after, they decided to swing by a party late Saturday at Pollo Los Reyes.
"He was out there, and I didn't even know he was out there. I would not have had that, but of course, that was a decision that he made," said Greene.
According to police, the party was hosted for ages 21 and under, with some guests as young as 14.
It's unclear what sparked the shooting, but when police got there, they found one victim in critical condition in a nearby parking lot.
"Saturday could have totally avoided," Greene said.
Just hours before the shooting, Greene said she met Jon Johnson, and they were discussing ways to support youth in their community. By providing them the tools to be successful and not turn to violence.
"We have to ask ourselves, why are these children in the streets in the beginning? Because they don't have that. They don't have someone to take them under their wing and say 'Hey, this is the right way,'" said Johnson.
IMPD said two other people were hurt in the shooting and arrived at the hospital independently. No arrests have been made.
Metro police are asking state and local agencies to investigate the business tied to that shooting.
IMPD says Pollos Los Reyes had a liquor license but did not have a food permit from the Marion County Public Health Department or an entertainment license from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office.
A "closed" notice from the health department was stuck to a window of the business on Monday.
IMPD said an establishment's permits or licenses are something anyone can check on.
IMPD also said it relies on the community to let them know if a business is doing something illegal. You can report that activity and stay anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.
