INDIANAPOLIS — A 17-year-old boy allegedly upset with his father is accused of opening fire inside his home and killing six people early Sunday morning.
Information obtained by WRTV Investigates reveals that the teen involved in the shooting had allegedly gotten in trouble for leaving his home without permission. The details leading up to the shooting are still being investigated, but the incident is believed to have escalated to the violent attack that now under investigation by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Details shared with WRTV Investigates suggest that the teen's father reportedly warned him he was going to get into trouble before the teen opened fire on multiple members of his family including his parents, siblings, and a pregnant woman who was also inside the home at the time. The shooting began upstairs and spilled downstairs where the teen suspect fled from the home.
A teenage brother who survived the shooting was able to run to a nearby home where he asked a neighbor to call for help. Police found the victim suffering from gunshot wounds and rushed him to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
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The surviving teen pointed police to the shooting where they located all five bodies. The pregnant woman was rushed to Eskenazi Hospital where she and her unborn child were both pronounced dead.
The victims killed in the shooting have been identified by the Marion County Coroner as Rita Childs, 13, Elijah Childs, 18, Kezzie and Raymond Childs' Jr., both 42, Kiara Hawkins, 19, and the unborn child of Kiara, identified only as "Baby Boy Hawkins". It is unclear how the pregnant woman was related to the family at this time.
WRTV Investigates says the 17-year-old suspect was arrested early Monday morning on charges of murder and attempted murder. The Marion County Prosecutor's Office has not filed formal charges at this time and it is unclear what charges the teen will face.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson says they are not looking for any other suspects at this time.
READ | Death toll of Adams Street homicides nearly unmatched in recent Indianapolis history
All is quiet outside the home on Adams today. There is a teddy bear on the front porch. Neighbors say they’re relieved an arrest was made. One woman says she thinks she heard the gunshots, but unfortunately that’s so common she didn’t realize what had happened until the next day pic.twitter.com/4JBlBD7PKg
— Megan Sanctorum (@MeganSanctorum) January 25, 2021
Indianapolis area ministers also participated in a Zoom call on Monday to discuss their role in addressing the spike in violence in the city.
"Well, I'm hoping today that some of the groups who have not always worked together with each other that we can now find common ground and find areas that we can work together for the good of Indianapolis and not wait on our political leadership to give us the marching orders," the Rev. Charles Harrison, of Barnes United Methodist Church, said. "We have to step forward now and do our part. I think we can make an impact if we do it together. There is no one solution, no one silver bullet that's going to help reduce this violence. It's going to take all of us working together."
