INDIANAPOLIS — A 16-year-old is in jail accused of murder following a shooting on Indy’s west side.
Officers responded to a report of a person shot in the 7100 block of Pluto Drive around 6:20 a.m. and located a man outside a home suffering from gunshot wounds.
The victim who was killed was wearing a black mask over his head and was discovered lying face down in the yard by a neighbor two doors away from the shooting. That neighbor called 911.
Officials with the Marion County Coroner’s Office identified the person killed in Wednesday’s shooting as 18-year-old Terry Ross.
“The EMT worker on 911 told us to turn him over gently and put pressure on the wound,” said Sach Diaz.
Diaz said that homicide victim was unresponsive and didn’t appear to have a weapon.
“It’s just tragic,” Diaz said. “This is a tragic situation.”
Neighbors believe the man was killed trying to break into one of the two cars in a driveway when a teenager inside the home grabbed a gun and opened fire.
An upstairs window of that home appears to have been shattered by gunfire.
Police later arrested the 16-year-old shooter for murder.
“The first thing they think about is to grab a weapon and go,” said Diaz. “The kid that’s involved in this is 16-years-old for God’s sake. It’s a shame. For the most part, this neighborhood is fantastic, but lately, break-ins into vehicles are getting repetitious.”
In fact, another neighbor provided surveillance video of a person in a mask trying to break into cars in the area before the shooting.
One woman said a keepsake stolen from her car nearby was recovered at the homicide scene.
For their part, police have not officially linked any other crimes in the neighborhood to the killing.
Ultimately it will be up to the prosecutor’s office to file formal charges against the teenage shooting suspect.
“These incidents are tragic. Our community is waking up to a life lost,” said IMPD Ofc. Samone Burris. “It’s not normal. It’s not okay. This is not something our community should see at this rate.”
Unfortunately, just over 7 hours earlier, police say a 45-year-old man named Damion Cole was also found shot and killed in the parking lot of an Extended Stay hotel on Indy’s north side.
No one has been arrested for that homicide.
Anyone with information about this incident should contact Det. Gregory Shue at the IMPD Homicide Office at (317) 327-3475 or e-mail him at Gregory.Shue@indy.gov
Alternatively, they can call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-8477 or (TIPS) to remain anonymous.
