Grieving Indy family replaces Kings Island trip with funeral planning after brothers killed

Indianapolis Star

14-07-2025

A family was getting ready to take a trip to King's Island, like they had done for years, when a mom noticed her youngest missing.
Natysha Offett, 50, had just woken up when she noticed her 12-year-old son, Isreal "Izzy" Offett, was gone.
She called his phone, but didn't get an answer. His sister checked his location, and it showed him on the west side of the city, far from where the family lives. So, the mother called his phone again.
"Somebody had answered his phone," Offett said.
Somebody told them that not only her youngest, but her middle son, 24-year-old Wayland Coe, were shot and killed. The brothers were found shot inside a vehicle on the west side of the city in the early morning hours of July 12.
Instead of a fun trip to an amusement park, the family is left making funeral arrangements.
"It's still fresh, but I have a lot of family and friends that's been coming by," Offett told IndyStar on July 13.
But what Offett and other family members can't seem to understand is why the brothers were so far from home early in the morning, and who would have shot them?
At 3:55 a.m., Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called about a person shot in the 5100 block of West 38th Street. Officers found Wayland Coe, 24, and Isreal Offett,12, inside a vehicle near a discount business and a food truck. They were taken to a hospital in critical condition, but didn't survive.
Born 12 years apart, videos shared by their mom online show an energetic and happy Izzy Offett and a reserved Wayland Coe through the years. Their older cousin, Caroline Kennedy, said the family is close-knit. The boys had active parents and grandparents who were pastors.
"I don't understand why they were there and at that time of night," Kennedy said. "They were good boys. Izzy was our heart. He was just a little boy. He was sheltered and loved to skateboard and do all those type of activities."
The boys' uncle, who's also a pastor, William Bumpus III, said the elder brother stayed to himself around others, but with family, he was fun to be around. Natysha Offett would often invite extended family over for fun events where Coe's personality would shine.
"You wouldn't think he'd have a joke, but he would come out with the funniest jokes," Bumpus said. "At their mom's 50th birthday celebration, I had never seen him dance, and we had a family dance competition, and he shocked everybody."
He said Coe worked for U-Haul for years and was a father to a 4-year-old son, giving Natysha Offett her first grandson in 2021.
Bumpus said Coe was a role model and always made sure to spend time with his little brother. Coe would try to set things straight if Izzy's grades were slipping. This past school year, the 12-year-old got his PlayStation taken away, but it motivated him to improve in his academics.
"He was a 12-year-old boy, just how 12-year-olds are," Bumpus said. "Just all over the place. He wanted to explore and was a babysitter at the family functions when adults needed a break from the young kids. He was also very polite and wanted to be with his big brother."
Brothers gone: Mother loses 3 sons to gun violence. Most recently in Indy's downtown mass shooting
The brothers were two of six people shot and killed over the weekend since July 11, 2025, following the trend of an uptick in shootings and homicides in recent weeks. Teens and young adults have been the latest victims of gun violence from the string of weekend killings.
The Fourth of July weekend saw a total of 30 people shot, with five people killed.
The weekend before that, there were 15 people shot, with 6 people killed.
This past weekend saw a total of 14 people shot, with 6 people killed.
Bumpus said hopefully the family will hear details from the assigned detective in Coe and Offett's case in a few days. For now, he doesn't know the reason for them being shot and killed this last weekend.
"From all we know, they were just simply at a food truck," Bumpus said. "And Wayland's thing was that he wanted to make sure Izzy stayed out of trouble, which is why he was always with him. Wayland was a protector. We just don't know the situation."
Kennedy, who is the owner of Darron's Resource & Community Center, focused on healing not only youth but their parents, guardians and family. She believes mental health help and therapy are missing from the conversation regarding youth.
"I don't think we're targeting the root of the problem," Kennedy said. "Boxing and basketball are good, but it isn't helping alone. Violence is steady, persisting, and the parents do need to step up, even if it means they get help for themselves."
She said their family has experienced violence and death before. One of her nephews was shot and killed after being carjacked a few years ago, and her son, whom the organization is named after, died five years ago after struggles with mental health.
She said she's given services to children in their family, but said Wayland Coe and Izzy Offett weren't the young people she worried about.
"I know we can't hold our kids' hands throughout their whole life, but we can lead by example," Kennedy said. "I just plead with the city: Stop letting the streets take our kids."
Anyone with any information on the brothers' killing is asked to contact Detective James Hurt at 317-327-3475 or email him at [e-mail]. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477, by downloading the mobile P3tips app , or visiting CrimeTips.org.