INDIANAPOLIS — At one p.m. Sunday IMPD officers were called to a townhouse in the Amber Woods Apartments in the 10000 block of John Jay Drive on a report of a juvenile wounded by gunfire.

”Medics transported that child to Riley Hospital in critical condition. Unfortunately, shortly after arrival to Riley Hospital, that child was pronounced deceased,” said IMPD Officer Samone Burris. ”Our preliminary information is this incident was reported as an accidental self-inflicted, however, detectives are on scene currently trying to determine if that is exactly what took place.”

The coroner’s office identified the child as 6-year-old Billy Ray Mack II.

Burris said there may have been another child inside the unit at the time of the shooting.

As of mid-afternoon, detectives were still seeking a search warrant to enter the townhouse and recover the weapon.

Burris was asked if any adults responsible for the care of the children would be criminally charged if it is determined that the gun was not secured.

”Our detectives will have to do a thorough investigation to determine the facts of what took place, so that if that’s the case, the prosecutor’s office will make any charging decisions if that’s what it leads to,” she said. ”Unfortunately, any incident of a child being shot either accidentally or intentionally by someone else is disheartening for our community to have to deal with and digest. A family is affected today. A family’s life has been changed forever and unfortunately, it is because of a weapon, because of a gun.”

The fatal shooting of the child came on the final day of the NRA’s annual conference in Indianapolis.

The NRA stresses gun safety to its members.

The NRA’s tips for safe gun handling and children can be found online at www.eddieeagle.nra.org/parents/

Protesters who grieve about the toll unintended gunfire takes on Indiana youngsters demonstrated in a safe zone across the street from the Indiana Convention Center this weekend.

”We’re looking to protect our children and our babies and everything else that we possibly can,” said Candise Partington, a parent and teacher. ”There are people in this state that do care about our children.”

Fox 59 News has tallied at least six accidental or unintended shootings of juveniles in Indianapolis and Lafayette thus far this year, claiming four lives.

The city’s first homicide of 2023 occurred on the east side as a father accidentally killed his teenage son when his gun fired while it was being cleaned.

A young girl was shot on Berwick Avenue later that week.

Two weeks later, a 17-year-old girl was shot to death when a gun was accidentally fired in the car she was driving in the 3100 block of Guilford Avenue.

A three-year-old was seriously wounded on February 17th.

A toddler was shot to death in Lafayette in late March by a five-year-old sibling.

Burris had advice for adults who keeps guns in homes with children.

“Any adult that owns a weapon or has a gun, gun safety, if you need any additional information, there are all kinds of online resources, there are all kinds of different organizations that can help assist with information and education about gun safety.”