Several Indiana family members are dead and police say a 17-year-old teen male is responsible.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, a domestic dispute allegedly led the teen to fatally shoot six people — including his parents and two siblings — at their home on Sunday.
The suspect’s 15-year-old brother survived the incident, after being shot near the family’s Indianapolis home He told police he heard gunfire upstairs after the 17-year-old was reprimanded for leaving the house without permission.
The 17-year-old apparently first shot his parents, Kezzie and Raymond Childs, both 42, according to police. The surviving victim said he then heard his sister, Rita Childs, 13, scream, “He shot them,” before additional gunshots rang out.
The boy said his older brother then came down the stairs with a Draco gun and opened fire. The 13-year-old fled the home while his brother kept shooting at him, according to authorities.
Also killed in Sunday’s mass shooting was the suspect’s 18-year-old brother, Elijah Childs, and his girlfriend, Kiara Hawkins, 19, who was pregnant. Their unborn son, who was nearly full-term, did not survive.
The suspect was arrested in Plainfield hours after the deadly shooting. Though he has not been publicly named due to his age, that may change if he faces adult charges.
CrimeOnline’s Nancy Grace feels almost certain that the suspect will be charged as an adult.
“In most jurisdictions, there are seven deadly sins; the seven deadly sins that apply to juveniles. For a juvenile usually to be treated as an adult in the adult court system, there is a bind over hearing. In other words, the case is transferred over, bound over from juvenile court to adult felony superior court,” Nancy Grace said on Tuesday’s “Crime Stories” episode.
“In the case of the seven deadly sins that often is not required, it triggers an immediate treatment as an adult. Those deadly sins I can recall are murder, aggravated sex assault, aggravated sodomy, child molestation, aggravated battery, armed robbery cases that are of an ilk so violent you see violence inflicted on the victim.”
“This is one of the seven deadly sins, I have no doubt…. that this 17-year-old will be treated as an adult.”
The suspect was initially behind bars at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center. On Wednesday, following the “Crime Stories” episode, officials announced that the suspect will appear in an adult court to face charges.
Although he hasn’t been officially charged as an adult, attorney Ralph Staples told Fox 59 that it’s highly unlikely that the case will remain in juvenile court, given the number of deaths involved. The teen’s hearing is scheduled for sometime later this week.
Check back for updates.
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[Featured image: Kezzie Childs, Rita Childs; Raymond Childs, Elijah Childs/Facebook]
*Additional reporting by Jacquelyn Gray*
