Cops arrest possible teen 'mass murderer,' victims include pregnant mother and unborn child
Nancy Grace, host of 'Crime Stories' on Fox Nation, breaks down the case in Indianapolis.
A 17-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting his father, stepmother, two teenage relatives and a 19-year-old pregnant woman in the family’s Indianapolis home has been charged with six counts of murder in connection with the slayings, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Raymond Ronald Lee Childs III, who was arrested Monday, was charged as an adult with six counts of murder, including one count for the death of the woman’s unborn child, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced at a news conference. The baby had been due to be born in one week, Mears said.
Childs also faces an attempted murder charge in the wounding of another relative, a male juvenile who was the sole survivor of Sunday’s shooting at the family’s home on Indianapolis’ near northeast side, authorities said. He was also charged with one count of carrying a handgun without a license.
Raymond Ronald Lee Childs III (IMPD)
Indiana state law specifies that any individual at least 16 years old will be charged as an adult if they are accused of committing certain felonies, including murder and attempted murder.
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Mears said that before the shootings, Raymond Childs III had a dispute with his father, 42-year-old Raymond Childs. "It certainly appears there was an argument between father and son in the residence," Mears said, adding that police are still investigating the nature of that dispute.
The elder Raymond Childs, his wife Kezzie Childs, 42, and two other relatives -- Elijah Childs, 18, and Rita Childs, 13 -- were pronounced dead along with Kiara Hawkins, 19, after being found in the home, the Marion County Coroner’s office said.
Jan 25, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; The home along Adams Street in Indianapolis on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, where a day before a shooting left five people and an unborn child dead. Mandatory Credit: Mykal McEldowney-USA TODAY (Mykal McEldowney-USA TODAY)
Police received a report of a person shot just before 4 a.m. Sunday in Indianapolis, according to a press release from the Indianapolis Metro Police Department (IMPD). Officers arrived to find a juvenile male -- the suspect’s brother -- near the home with what appeared to be gunshot wounds, police and the report said.
"They killed my family," he said, according to local affiliate FOX 59.
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The surviving teenage victim later told investigators the suspect, his brother, was in trouble with his father, who was scolding him for going somewhere without asking his parents first, according to the report.
The young victim, when discovered by police on Sunday, had pointed officers inside the home, where they found five people who had been shot and killed.
Responders rushed Kiara Hawkins to a local hospital, but neither she nor "Baby Boy Hawkins" could be saved, police and the report said. Mears said Hawkins was in a relationship with someone who lived at the home.
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. (Justin L. Mack/The Indianapolis Star via AP)
The boy who officers encountered outside was also taken to the hospital, where he is expected to survive. He reportedly told detectives he was downstairs with his parents when they heard gunshots, followed by his sister screaming, "He shot them," according to FOX 59. More shots rang out after that.
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The suspect then "came down the stairs with a draco gun, a handgun that shoots rifle rounds, and started shooting," according to the report.
As the boy ran out of the home, his brother allegedly chased after him and fired more shots.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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