The victims were all found dead with apparent gunshot wounds at the same address in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the early hours of Sunday morning. Just over 24 hours after the horrific loss of life, Indianapolis police chief Randal Taylor has said that a juvenile has been arrested in connection with the shootings. The identity of the suspect is not yet known and police have not said if the alleged assailant is known to the victims. Yesterday Taylor said the incident was the ‘largest mass casualty shooting in more than a decade’ in Indianapolis while Mayor, Joe Hogsett, described it as ‘mass murder’.
Announcing the arrest today, Taylor said: ‘Yesterday, we promised swift justice for this heinous act. Today, we delivered on that promise. ‘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.’ The arrest comes after Kezzie Childs and Raymond Childs, both 42, Elijah Childs, 18, Rita Childs, 13, Kiara Hawkins, 19 and Hawkins’ unborn baby were found dead by police at around 4am yesterday morning.
A juvenile male was also found shot at a different address less than a block away in what police believe may be a linked incident. The boy is in hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police have said. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department initially thought that more than one shooter may have been involved, but police have since said that they believe the suspect in custody ‘acted alone’.
metro.co.uk
