Indianapolis police on Monday arrested a young suspect in connection with a “mass murder” over the weekend that left five people and an unborn child dead.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department found five people, including a pregnant woman, shot and killed inside a house on Sunday morning. Investigators were taken to the dreadful crime scene at about 4 am, after a teenager was found with a gunshot wound just steps from the Adams Street crime scene. Police said on Sunday it was the “biggest mass shooting” that Indianapolis has seen in more than a decade.
Authorities identified the dead as Kezzie Childs, 42; Raymond Childs, 42; Elijah Childs, 18; Rita Childs, 13; and Kiara Hawkins, 19. Hawkins’ unborn baby also died.
The suspect’s name and photo were not released because he is not an adult, police said. At the moment, the authorities do not believe that any additional suspects are at large.
“Yesterday, we promised swift justice for this heinous act. Today, we keep that promise, ”said IMPD chief Randal Taylor in a statement. “While removing the alleged perpetrator of yesterday’s mass murder from our neighborhoods does not bring back the meaningless lost lives, hopefully, it will bring us one step closer to healing as a community. I am grateful to all IMPD officers and criminal justice partners who have worked tirelessly in the past 30 hours to do justice to these victims, their friends and family and our entire community. I ask community members to join me in praying for the continued recovery of the young man whose life has changed forever ”.
Although authorities believe the injured boy who was found on Adams Street was injured during the crime, no reason or further details about the distressing incident were released. The injured boy, however, must survive, Taylor said on Sunday, adding that authorities believe the victims were “targets” for one or more people.
“But what we saw this morning was a different kind of evil. What happened this morning, based on the evidence that has been gathered so far, was a mass murder, ”Taylor said at a news conference on Sunday. “More than that, we believe it was not random.”
On Sunday, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the horrific incident brought “terror to our community”, and he contacted the FBI, the local prosecutor and other law enforcement agencies to speed up the investigation.
“I want those responsible to know that all the power of local, state and federal authorities is coming after them as I speak,” said Hogsett.