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The 17-year-old male suspect awaiting formal charges after his arrest Monday in connection to what Indianapolis authorities described as a "mass murder" that left six people, including an unborn child, dead and a seventh person wounded over the weekend will likely face trial in adult court.
He has not been publicly named by authorities, but an Indianapolis Police Department report first obtained by WXIN, the Fox-affiliated TV station in Indianapolis, revealed that he allegedly murdered his own family after a dispute with his father about going out without permission.
The victims killed have been identified as Kezzie Childs, 42, and Raymond Childs, 42, -- a mother and father -- as well as their children, 18-year-old Elijah Childs and 13-year-old Rita Childs. Another woman, 19-year-old Kiara Hawkins, was also killed. She was pregnant with a baby boy who also did not survive.
The gunman killed his own father, mother, sister and brother, as well as wounded another brother.
The police report said that officers responded before 4 a.m. Sunday to the 3300 block of E. 36th Street to find the suspect’s younger brother suffering from gunshot wounds. He gave police information leading them to the 3500 block of North Adams Street, where the other victims were found dead.
"They killed my family," he reportedly told officers once arriving at the emergency room.
When interviewed by detectives at the hospital, the teen, who, like the suspect, has not been identified due to his age, said he had been downstairs at his parents’ home when he heard gunshots upstairs. He said he heard his sister yell, "He shot them," before hearing more gunshots.
INDIANAPOLIS 'MASS MURDER' LEAVES 6 DEAD, INCLUDING PREGNANT WOMAN, UNBORN BABY
That’s when he said his older brother, "came down the stairs with a Draco gun, a handgun that shoots rifle rounds, and started shooting." He said he then ran out of the side door of the home, with his brother pursuing him down the street, firing at him several times.
Police said neighbors reported hearing at least four gunshots ring out. The teen told police his older brother had been reprimanded by his father for leaving home without permission. He was told the issue would be resolved later, but the son instead began shooting.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department work the scene Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021 in Indianapolis where five people, including a pregnant woman, were shot to death early Sunday inside an Indianapolis home. The pregnant woman who was taken to an area hospital, both she and the unborn child died despite life-saving efforts. (Justin L. Mack/The Indianapolis Star via AP) ((Justin L. Mack/The Indianapolis Star via AP))
"Because we had found that young man who has suffered some significant gunshot wounds, and he pointed us in the direction of that Adams Street address, which we had no idea what we would find when we walked in the door there, when the officers walked in the door there," IMPD Assistant Chief Chris Bailey told the station. "I can’t imagine the horrific nature of what they had to see yesterday."
The suspect was arrested in Plainfield on Monday. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said he expects to file formal charges against the 17-year-old sometime before Friday. He said prosecutors could not pursue the death penalty under Indiana state law because of the suspect’s age, but the suspect would still likely face trial in adult court.
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When murder charges involve a 17-year-old defendant, the defense can ask that the case be moved out of adult court, but in a case with multiple victims that remains unlikely, Mears told WXIN.
"It’s going to start in adult court and there’s an opportunity to bring it back to juvenile court, but it’s going to start in adult court," he said.
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