Officials with the Hoosier State’s Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) revealed in a news release that officers on Monday had arrested a juvenile suspected of being involved in the weekend murders.
The minor suspect, however, was not publicly identified by the department and an image was not released, due to his age. Additionally, although officials earlier believed there to be one or more suspects tied to the killings, officials confirmed via the release that they “do not believe any additional persons were involved.”
“Yesterday, we promised swift justice for this heinous act. Today, we delivered on that promise," IMPD Chief Randal Taylor said in a statement accompanying the release. "While removing the alleged perpetrator of yesterday's mass murder from our neighborhoods does not bring back the lives senselessly lost, hopefully, it will bring us one step closer to healing as a community.”
“I am grateful to all of the IMPD officers and criminal justice partners who have worked tirelessly for the last 30-plus hours to bring justice for these victims, their friends and families, and our entire community. I ask community members to join me in praying for the continued recovery of the young man whose life has been forever changed.”
Taylor described the deadly Sunday gun deaths as one of the largest mass casualty shootings in over a decade, according to local news outlet Indianapolis Star.
The IMPD was made aware of the mass shooting at about 4 a.m. on Sunday, when dispatchers were informed that a juvenile male, whose age was not disclosed, was found with a gunshot injury in the Indianapolis community. After the individual relayed to officers what unfolded, officials discovered five others who had died from gunshot wounds inside a nearby residence.
Officials subsequently determined that one of the victims, identified as 19-year-old Kiara Hawkins, was pregnant; however, despite life-saving efforts, the child did not survive. The four other shooting victims were identified as 42-year-old Kezzie Childs, 42-year-old Raymond Childs, 18-year-old Elijah Childs and 13-year-old Rita Childs. The juvenile male shooter was transported to a local area hospital and is expected to survive his injuries.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.