INDIANAPOLIS — Peacemakers in Indianapolis are asking for families to practice conflict resolution after two Christmas day shootings left two people dead and five with injuries.
The two shootings occurred during holiday gatherings a couple of blocks away from each other in a northeast Indianapolis neighborhood.
The first shooting left a 44-year-old man dead in the 4400 block of N Kitley Avenue.
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The second occurred just a few blocks south in the 400 block of Meadowlark Drive.
Six people were shot and one died after being transported to the hospital. IMPD says there were numerous children in the house celebrating the holiday when the shooting occurred.
On Thursday, IMPD announced a suspect had been taken into custody.
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“Somebody wasn't able to resolve this conflict peacefully,” IMPD Officer Drew Brown said. “They couldn't resolve this conflict with words and walk away when it arose to the point where they couldn't resolve it. And they resorted to gun violence as well.”
Police say the shooting occurred during a family gathering for Christmas.
“On Christmas, this is not tolerable,” IMPD Officer Thomas Thompson said on Wednesday.
Cortnee Yarbrough is the Director of Strategic Prevention for the Indy Public Safety Foundation. She works alongside many in the Indianapolis community to improve conflict resolution skills and reduce violence.
“Coming together to an agreement that says, ‘This is going to get hard, and I want to make sure that we're both safe in this conversation,’” Yarbrough said.
As violence continues, Yarbrough says it’s important for families to teach their children how to deal with conflict.
“Saying that it's important to work through things is a great example we can set and hopefully gives people time away from the conflict to think about whether or not making a catastrophic choice is the one that they want to do,” Yarbrough said.
Anyone with any information regarding these two shootings is encouraged to contact IMPD or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 (TIPS) to remain anonymous.
