Indianapolis police on Monday arrested a juvenile suspect in connection with a “mass murder” over the weekend that left five people and an unborn child dead.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department discovered five people Sunday morning, including a pregnant woman, who was shot dead in a home. Investigators were led to the brutal crime scene around 4am after a young boy was found with a gunshot wound, just a short distance from the scene in Adams Street. Police said Sunday it is the “largest mass casualty shooting” Indianapolis has seen in more than a decade.
Authorities identified the murdered as Kezzie Childs (42); Raymond Childs, 42; Elijah Childs, 18; Rita Childs, 13; and Kiara Hawkins, 19. Hawkins’ unborn baby boy also died.
The name and photo of the suspect were not released because he is not an adult, police said. At present, the authorities do not believe any additional suspects in general.
“Yesterday we promised swift justice for this heinous act. “Today we have kept our promise,” said IMPD chief Randal Taylor in a statement.
‘While removing the alleged perpetrator of yesterday’s massacre from our neighborhoods does not make life meaningless, it will hopefully bring us one step closer to healing as a community. I am grateful to all the IMPD officials and criminal justice partners who have worked tirelessly for the past 30 hours to bring justice to these victims, their friends and families and our entire community. I ask community members to pray with me for the continual recovery of the young man whose life has been changed forever. ”
While authorities believe the wounded boy found in Adams Street was injured during the crime, no motive or further details about the intestines were submitted. However, the wounded boy is expected to survive, Taylor said Sunday, adding that authorities believe the victims were “targeted” by one or more people.
“But what we saw this morning was a different kind of evil. “What happened this morning, based on the evidence gathered so far, was mass murder,” Taylor told a Sunday news conference. “More so, we believe it was not random.”
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said Sunday that the horrific incident brought “terror to our community,” and he contacted the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies to expedite the investigation.
“I want those responsible to know that the full power of local, state and federal law enforcement is coming to them as I speak,” Hogsett said.