By Raul Castillo
Mar 31, 2024, 2:58 PM EDT
Seven youths between the ages of 12 and 17 were wounded in a shooting outside a shopping center in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday night, authorities said.
The events occurred shortly after 11:30 p.m., when Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers patrolling near the Circle Center shopping center heard gunshots. According to police, officers saw six people injured with gunshot wounds.
Tanya Terry, deputy chief of operations for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police, described the shooting as “deeply troubling.”
“Once again, we have a situation where young people are resolving conflicts with guns and this has to stop,” Terry said, according to NBC News.
The children were transported to several hospitals, authorities reported. Six of them are stable and one is in critical condition. The identities have not been revealed.
There has also been no arrest reported or information provided about a possible suspect in the shooting. However, the city police force assured that detectives began an aggravated assault investigation.
Pattern among young people
The deputy chief of operations of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police stated that they have noticed a pattern among the city’s young people, who circulate in the city center for hours after the shopping center closes, at 7:00 pm.
“I think everyone sees the 10 o’clock messages: ‘Parents, do you know where your kids are?’” Terry said, referencing an old public service announcement, according to NBC News. “And we would ask our parents to get involved in what their children are doing, especially at this time of night.”
This is the third shooting in three weekends in Indianapolis, according to NBC affiliate WTHR.
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