Between Friday and Monday morning 22 people were shot throughout Indianapolis in 17 separate incidents.
“It’s ridiculous,” said Charles Spivey on WISH-TV. He lives near where one of the shootings happened. “It seems like anytime a group of young people gets together now someone gets shot.”
Four of the victims are said to be teenagers or younger. The youngest shooting victim was 8-years-old. They were wounded from a self-inflicted gunshot just south of 34th and Lafayette Road, according to Indianapolis Metro Police.
In another incident not far from 10th and Sherman police say a 16-year-old boy was arrested for shooting a 13-year-old boy at a house party.
Then an 11-year-old girl was hurt when she was shot at a home between Southeastern and I-74 on the far southeast side. Police determined this to be an accidental shooting.
There was also a teenager shot near Franklin Avenue and Washington Street. Two adult men were arrested for that shooting.
Only one of the weekend’s 22 gunshot victims died. That man was shot just off 30th and Sherman on the northeast side near George Washington Park. Police haven’t said much more about what led to that shooting.
“The worst that we used to do was fight. But, now they aren’t fighting. They’re using guns,” said Rev. Charles Harrison with the Indy Ten Point Coalition. “Parents have to be more involved with who our kids are hanging with. Whether they possess guns.”
Mayor Joe Hogsett released a statement Saturday.
“Last night, gun violence harmed several people across Indianapolis, including multiple children who sustained injuries in separate accidental shootings. Yet their true cause was no accident. I share the anger of our community in the proliferation and reckless use of firearms in Indianapolis, and pledge to continue fighting for common-sense gun safety measures to protect our most vulnerable.”
This weekend of violence comes as the Indianapolis City-County Council considers new ordinances that would restrict the sale of guns in Marion County on top of placing restrictions on carrying guns. The legislation goes before a council committee soon.
3 comments
Guns are common throughout the state of Indiana, yet the problem seems to be limited to only deep blue areas like Indy, Gary, Ft Wayne, South Bend, and the like… Clearly the guns aren’t the issue. What’s different about those areas than the rest of the state?
The first step to solving a problem is admitting that you have one.
Tighter gun laws are certainly helping Chicago with their senseless shootings. These ridiculous liberal blue cities just don’t get it.
Guns are not the problem. Did any of the guns used in these incidents get up all on their own and shoot someone? Of Course Not. They were animated by some human with a degraded or no sense of propriety or obeying of the law. Guns are inanimate objects. People use them for crime and also use them thousands of more times each year to prevent crime. The media never tells the whole story about guns and society. The vast majority of crimes using guns are located in a handful of US zip codes. Sadly Indy is now competing with Chicago for a violent place to avoid. Parents do you jobs. Schools instead of teaching kids to change their genders or that they live in a country that hates them, teach them to respect others and obey the laws. Teach them to solve their problems without resorting to violence. Also be proactive at stopping bullies that get along and pursue their criminal activities right under your noses.