In a distressing turn of events late Saturday night, seven children were wounded in a mass shooting outside the Circle Centre Mall in downtown Indianapolis, as confirmed by the city’s police department. The victims, whose ages range from 12 to 17, found themselves caught in a sudden outbreak of gunfire around 11:30 p.m., sparking immediate concern and mobilizing law enforcement to the scene.
Deputy Chief Tanya Terry, from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, detailed how officers on patrol were alerted to the incident by the sound of gunfire. Upon arrival, they discovered a large assembly of juveniles, six of whom had sustained gunshot injuries. According to Terry’s update on Sunday morning, all victims were promptly taken to local hospitals. Initially, one of the victims was in critical condition but was later stabilized; the other five victims were also listed as stable.
A seventh juvenile, also with a gunshot wound, independently sought medical attention at a hospital and was reported to be in stable condition. The genders of the victims were not disclosed, but it was indicated that detectives believe multiple firearms were involved, leading to the opening of an aggravated assault investigation.
Terry expressed a deep concern over the recurring violence among youths, emphasizing the need for conflict resolution without resorting to firearms. “Once again, we have a situation in which young people are resolving conflict with firearms, and it has to stop,” she stated, underscoring the irreversible consequences of such actions.
No arrests have been made in connection to the shooting, and as of Terry’s last update, there were no suspects identified. The police have observed a troubling pattern where young individuals linger in the downtown area for hours after the mall’s closure at 7 p.m. Terry urged parents to be more aware of their children’s whereabouts, especially late at night before holidays such as Easter.
This incident marks the third shooting in Indianapolis in as many weekends, highlighting a concerning trend of violence in the city. Just the previous Sunday, a shooting on the east side of Indianapolis resulted in five fatalities, including an officer, with the suspect also being fatally shot by police. Earlier in the month, another shooting at a local bar claimed one life and left five others injured, adding to the city’s growing list of violent incidents.
