The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has revealed that Saturday night’s tragic mass shooting in downtown, which left seven children aged 12 to 17 injured, was a premeditated incident.
IMPD Chief Chris Bailey stated on Monday, “It wasn’t a random type of thing. There was an ongoing beef. They brought that beef downtown, and, earlier in that day, we believe that’s when the planning took place.”
Officers on patrol downtown heard gunfire around 11:30 p.m. Saturday near the intersection of Illinois and West Maryland streets, just outside Circle Centre mall.
Fortunately, none of the injuries were deemed life-threatening, according to IMPD on Monday. Among the injured were two 16-year-old boys, one 16-year-old girl, three 14-year-old girls, and a 12-year-old boy.
Mayor Joe Hogsett, a Democrat, raised concerns on Monday about the presence of a 12-year-old downtown after midnight on a weekend without supervision.
“What is a 12-year-old doing in downtown Indianapolis after midnight on a weekend, unattended, and unsupervised?”
As of late Monday afternoon, IMPD hadn’t made any arrests in connection with the shooting. Detectives were sifting through surveillance footage to identify the shooters. It’s believed that multiple individuals were involved. While two juveniles were arrested for resisting law enforcement, their connection to the shooting remains unclear.
Chief Bailey mentioned, “We will continue to look at all the video that’s available in downtown, which is a lot. Whether we can ascertain exactly who or what from that video is still yet to be determined.”
Rev. Charles Harrison, a community leader and president of the Ten Point Coalition, which aims to provide peacekeeping services, attributed the mass shooting to a lack of adult supervision.
Harrison stated, “We have to look at parenting. If parents are not going to be responsible for their children, then maybe we need to look at holding some parents accountable.”
Bailey mentioned that they are exploring options with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office to address this issue.
The police chief added, “Prosecutor Mears and I have had conversations today, and we’re looking at all avenues of the law to see what we can and can’t do to hold adults accountable for the actions of their children.”
Hogsett announced plans from his office later in the week to prevent future downtown mass shootings.
Saturday’s incident marked the third mass shooting in Indianapolis in three weeks, defined as an event resulting in four or more people killed or injured.