According to police and people close to the family, an Indianapolis teenager accused of killing six family members over the weekend began the terrible attack after his father yelled at him for leaving the house without permission.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department on Monday announced the arrest of a 17-year-old boy in connection with Sunday’s murder of five people, including a pregnant woman whose baby also died. Investigators were taken to the crime scene at around 4 am, after a boy was found with a gunshot wound just steps from his home.
“I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this whole thing,” Nikki Smith, a childhood friend of victim Kezzie Childs, told the Daily Beast. “This makes no sense! I can’t even imagine who would do such a horrible thing. “
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. Hawkins was taken to a local hospital in an attempt to save her and her son, but all six victims were pronounced dead on Sunday morning.
The 17-year-old suspect’s name and photo were not released because he is a minor, but an IMPD spokeswoman said the suspect is not the same young man who was found injured on Sunday.
Local channels Fox59, WRTV and WISH-TV reported that the arrested teenager was the son of Raymond Childs. According to a police report obtained by Fox59, the teenager’s younger brother is the injured boy the authorities first met.
When the police interviewed the boy at the hospital, he reportedly told that his older brother had been punished by his father for leaving the house without permission, reports Fox59. The reprimand supposedly infuriated the teenager.
The younger brother said he was with his parents downstairs when they heard shots and screams from his sister.
“He shot them,” shouted his sister before several more shots were fired, according to the injured boy. The police report states that the 17-year-old “went down the stairs with a Draco gun, a pistol that fires rifle shots, and started shooting.
The injured brother said he managed to escape through the side door of his house – which led his older brother to chase him and start shooting his gun. Police said earlier that several neighbors heard gunfire on Sunday morning.
“Yesterday, we promised swift justice for this heinous act. Today, we keep that promise, ”said IMPD chief Randal Taylor in a statement on Monday. “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 ask community members to join me in praying for the continued recovery of the young man whose life has changed forever ”.
Family friends expressed their shock and indignation on social media and started a GoFundMe in honor of the children.
“My heart is saddened to hear about the loss of Kezzie Childs and his family. This world is so cruel. This is horrible !! Prayers to her family !! ”, Wrote a friend in a Facebook post.