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Seven young people between the ages of 12 and 17 were wounded in a shooting in a busy business area of downtown Indianapolis late Saturday night, police said.
Police officers patrolling the area heard shots fired near the intersection of Illinois and Maryland streets shortly after 11:30 p.m., Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief Tanya Terry said.
The intersection is outside Circle Centre Mall, which had been closed for at least four hours at that time. Several restaurants and other businesses are in the vicinity, including Sugar Factory, Steak n Shake, Yard House, Nada, Dick’s Last Resort, Le Meridien Indianapolis and St. Elmo Steak House.
The officers found “a large group of juveniles” at the scene, including six who had gunshot wounds and were transported to area hospitals, Terry said during a news briefing at the scene early Sunday morning.
One of the victims was upgraded from critical to stable condition. The other victims all were listed in stable condition, said Terry.
A seventh juvenile with a gunshot wound arrived separately at a hospital and was in stable condition, she said.
Online reports indicated that four males and three females suffered gunshot wounds.
“Once again, we have a situation in which young people are resolving conflict with firearms, and it has to stop,” Terry said, later adding, “Conflict should not lead to somebody pulling out a gun and trying to resolve it. The consequences are eternal.”
Investigators believe there was more than one gun used in the shooting, Terry said.
No arrests were made and police did not have any suspects, she said.
WXIN Channel 59 said three victims sought safety inside Sugar Factory, prompting a panic-filled scene in which patrons, who had heard the gunshots, to hide on the floor behind tables and chairs.
Mayor Joe Hogsett released a statement Sunday blaming juvenile access to gun as a major factor in the incident.
“This Easter Sunday, I am heartbroken for the young people whose lives have been impacted by what occurred last night,” Hogsett said in the statement. “Let me be clear: a 12-year-old child has no business being out late at night anywhere without parental or adult supervision. As important, there is no reason why a young person at any age should be in possession of a gun.”
“But no level of law enforcement or community programming can keep guns out of the hands of every young person in our city. Solutions will require all of us to address the ease with which our youth access and turn to firearms to solve their conflicts. The city of Indianapolis is continuing to build on our $150 million violence reduction strategy, including hiring a chief violence prevention officer who will focus exclusively on youth and working to prosecute those who provide firearms to minors.”
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