Latest news with #MarionCountyProsecutor'sOffice
Indianapolis Star
07-07-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Could parents of Indianapolis teens involved in crime be charged? Maybe
The frustration in Indianapolis police chief Chris Bailey's voice was palpable as he spoke to media in the early morning hours of July 5. Hours after the Independence Day fireworks show, hundreds of unsupervised teens lingered around downtown, and the atmosphere was chaotic. "I don't know how many times I have to say it. We are not your children's keepers. You are," Bailey said. "And parents and guardians have got to step up." As police were in the process of breaking up a fight at around 1:30 a.m. on July 5, they heard gunfire from a mass shooting that killed Xavion Jackson, 16, and Azareaon S. Cole, 15. Two other teens and three adults were also injured. On July 7, the Marion County Prosecutor's Office announced charges against four teens who were found downtown with guns around the time of the shooting. None of the teens, who range in age from 13 to 17, have been accused of committing the shooting, but are charged with possessing guns under the age of 18. That charge, known as "dangerous possession of a firearm," is the most common charge filed in Marion County's juvenile court. It's increased dramatically in the last few years, Prosecutor Ryan Mears said. The eldest teen, who is being charged as an adult, already has a prior conviction for that charge. Article continues below gallery. More: Ralph Durrett hopes to create 'positive childhood experiences' for Indianapolis' youth To Bailey, Indianapolis' ongoing struggle with youth violence is at least in part due to guardians' negligence. "If I can convince the prosecutor to hold parents accountable, I'm gonna do that, too," Bailey said on July 5. Mears said more cases are expected to be filed in the coming days, and the possibility of cases against parents or guardians "will certainly be investigated." It's not an entirely novel idea: in 2024, the parents of a Michigan school shooter were separately convicted of involuntary manslaughter, even though neither was directly involved in the killings. Charges of that nature will likely require forensic analyses of phones and social media because investigators are looking for proof that parents knew or should have known their child had a gun. Parents of the charged teens have not been "super cooperative in answering law enforcement questions," according to Mears. "It's beyond ridiculous that a 13-year-old was walking around downtown with a gun," Mears said. Article continues below gallery. The city announced plans to enforce a youth curfew prohibiting teens between 15 and 17 from being unaccompanied in public between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. A similar plan was announced more than a year ago after a different downtown Indianapolis mass shooting wounded seven teens. In April 2024, a feud between teens escalated into a gunfight, shining a national spotlight on the city's struggle to curb youth violence. The results of that initiative are unclear. IndyStar has asked the city for the number of teens cited under the curfew over the past two years and has not yet received a response.
Indianapolis Star
07-07-2025
- Indianapolis Star
4 teens charged following downtown weekend mass shooting
Four teenagers have been charged following their alleged involvement in a mass shooting on July 5, hours after a Fourth of July fireworks celebration finished downtown. The Marion County Prosecutor's Office said it will likely pursue additional charges as investigations continue. Indianapolis Police Chief Chris Bailey said at a press conference on July 5 that he would meet with Prosecutor Ryan Mears to discuss charging parents for negligence. 'We will continue to work with IMPD and our law enforcement partners to investigate how these firearms end up in the hands of our children," Mears said. Here is a breakdown of the charges. Indianapolis crime: At least 30 people shot in Indy over holiday weekend. 5 didn't survive A 17-year-old boy is being charged as an adult for dangerous possession of a firearm, resisting law enforcement and obstruction of justice. He tried to flee when law enforcement tried to stop him, officials claim. A 16-year-old boy is being charged in Juvenile Court with dangerous possession of a firearm. A 15-year-old boy is being charged in Juvenile Court with dangerous possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana and resisting law enforcement. A 13-year-old boy is being charged in Juvenile Court with dangerous possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana and theft of a firearm.
Indianapolis Star
02-07-2025
- Indianapolis Star
'Do you want to die?' 16-year-old charged as adult in Beech Grove shooting of teen girl
A 15-year-old who was arrested last year for the shooting death of a teenage Beech Grove girl is now being charged as an adult in her killing. Emanuel Carter, who is now 16, is accused of killing Makayla Bauman, 18, and court documents reveal it was over a robbery gone wrong. He was charged by the Marion County Prosecutor's Office with murder, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, and dangerous possession of a firearm where a child possesses a firearm. "She was killed on Sunday, and they made an arrest on Monday," her mother, Jennifer Bauman, told IndyStar. "He's only just now being charged as an adult." The family did not want to release a statement on the arrest since the investigation is ongoing. At 9:02 p.m., on Sept. 29, 2024, Beech Grove Police were alerted to possible shots fired via gunshot detection devices in the Park View at Beech Grove apartments area. As officers were heading to the scene, dispatch updated the run to a person shot at a home in the 5900 block of Riva Ridge Drive, less than a mile and a half away. Police found Makayla Bauman shot, and her 15-year-old brother was tending to her wound. She was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition, but later died. An autopsy for the 18-year-old revealed that she had been struck by a single bullet in the right chest, with the bullet becoming lodged in the left shoulder. This is consistent with a person being shot through the passenger side door while seated in a vehicle. 'You couldn't ask for a better kid.' 18-year-old shot and killed in Beech Grove Investigators found five shell casings under a carport in the parking lot of the complex within the 5400 block of Fetterbush Lane and determined they came from two different firearms. According to court documents, Bauman's brother told detectives that his sister drove to Fetterbush Lane, where he was going to sell marijuana to a person he knew as "Man Man," later identified as Carter. The deal was arranged through Snapchat. Bauman's brother was in the driver's side of his sister's car while she was in the passenger side when Carter and another person approached the vehicle, according to a probable cause for his arrest. Bauman's brother told detectives he was handing over the drugs when Carter and the other person pulled out guns and pointed them at his head. 'Give me everything. Do you want to die?' Carter told Bauman's brother, according to court records. Bauman's brother put the vehicle in reverse in an attempt to flee before both suspects began shooting at the vehicle. He was driving out of the apartment complex when Makayla Bauman stated, 'I think I just got shot.' He noticed his sister then began 'fading out." While trying to drive home, he called their mother to tell her what happened, but eventually stopped the car before being found by officers. Bauman's brother told detectives he and Carter were classmates at Beech Grove High School during their freshman year in 2023. He didn't get a good look at the other person, but believed the boy to be Carter's brother. Detectives located Carter and his brother, who told investigators they were staying overnight at a friend's house at Park View Apartments. An Instagram message tied to Carter's account and obtained by police indicates the teen was setting up and planning to rob Bauman's brother. During interrogation, Carter's brother said he was also at the shooting and pulled the trigger because he thought they were the ones being robbed. Beech Grove Police have not announced any other arrests in the case. At an initial hearing on July 2, Carter pleaded not guilty. His jury trial is set for Sept. 29.
Indianapolis Star
27-06-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Police: 12-year-old boy dead after accidental shooting in Cumberland home
(This article will update.) A 12-year-old boy has died after an accidental shooting, Cumberland Police Chief Suzanne Crooke-Woodland confirmed. Shortly after 1 a.m. June 27, police were called to the 11500 block of Dunshire Drive inside the Knoll Ridge Apartments about a person shot. Officers found a preteen boy in critical condition. He was taken to an Indianapolis hospital, where he died several hours later, Crooke-Woodland said. Police spoke to several witnesses at the scene and learned that guns were easily accessible to all in the home. No other details about the circumstances of the shooting were released. Police believe the shooting wasn't intentional. The Marion County Prosecutor's Office is "aware of the situation," but nothing has been formally presented at this time. This is the second time a Marion County child has died in a shooting in the past month. On June 17, 2-year-old Javarius Bickett shot himself inside a car parked at a CVS on Indianapolis' east side. A 2024 analysis conducted by IndyStar showed that adults who owned the guns used in children's shootings most often received probation, if they were criminally charged at all. The Marion County Sheriff's Office and the national gun safety program Project ChildSafe offer free gun locks. They can be picked up at branches of the Indianapolis Public Library.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
Off-duty Anderson police officer charged after Indy neighborhood shootout
The off-duty Anderson police officer involved in an early morning shootout in an east-side Indianapolis neighborhood has been charged by the Marion County Prosecutor's Office. Officer Maurice Magee, 34, is charged with two counts of criminal recklessness for his alleged role in the 600 block of Woodruff Place West Drive shooting on May 19. Magee, who lives in Indianapolis, began searching the area after reporting a vehicle stolen. According to formal charging documents, Magee reported a Dodge Challenger stolen to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at 5:14 a.m. The vehicle belonged to Magee's uncle, but Magee pays for and frequently drives it, according to court documents filed in the case. The car was located by Magee using an Apple AirTag and was a little over 9 miles from where Magee lived, according to court documents. Around 4 a.m., Magee got up to let his dog out and talk to his father-in-law when he noticed the Dodge Challenger was gone. He went outside and noticed glass in the driveway where the car had been sitting. Court records state he then woke his girlfriend up and told her to call the police. He took her black Mercedes-AMG to the Woodruff Place neighborhood, and his brother-in-law followed in a gray Dodge 2500 Ram pickup. "Law enforcement officers should understand the proper and safe ways for reporting a crime," said Prosecutor Ryan Mears. "The allegations in the probable cause affidavit could have been avoided if the defendant had simply allowed local police to conduct an investigation. Instead, his alleged actions unnecessarily jeopardized the safety of the residents of Woodruff Place." Just after sunrise, residents in the area who were getting ready for work, and their kids ready for school, heard vehicles revving and a collision followed by gunfire in front of their homes. Witnesses saw Magee and a man detectives believed to be his brother-in-law carrying firearms coming down the street before the shooting happened between them and two suspects. Magee told detectives he was armed with an AR-15 rifle and started yelling at the suspects in his car to stop. Detectives said the pickup and the Challenger collided before the shooting, resulting in the stolen car ramming into a neighbor's fence on a hill. Office Maurice Magee: Residents demand answers after off-duty Anderson cop's shootout in Indy neighborhood After the crash, gunfire was exchanged between the suspects and Magee, the prosecutor said. The men in the Challenger then ran behind the house where they crashed and escaped. They haven't been identified or found. In an interview with detectives, the prosecutor's office said, Magee initially said he did not fire his weapon. He said the suspects got out of the wrecked car and started shooting at him. According to a probable cause affidavit for his arrest, he said he was going to aim and then dove to the ground. He further stated that he does not remember firing and was sure he did not. He did say his brother-in-law fired his rifle, though. Both Magee's and his brother-in-law's firearms were collected for forensic testing. Multiple shell casings were collected from the crime scene and surrounding properties, including a fired bullet that traveled through an 8-year-old's bedroom window and a wall before getting lodged in a bathroom wall. Ballistic comparisons between the firearms collected and the shell casings found at the scene revealed that the man with Magee did not fire his weapon during the shooting. It was determined that at least one of the shell casings had been fired by Magee's rifle. In a statement to IndyStar, Anderson Police said they were notified of Magee's arrest, and he remains on administrative leave. They will reevaluate his position once they receive all the charging information from Indianapolis Metropolitan Police and will release more details as they become available. Magee has been with the department for two years. Magee was arrested and booked into the Marion County Jail on June 6, 2025. His bond is set for $30,000. Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Off-duty Anderson cop charged in Indy neighborhood shootout
