RICHMOND, Ind.– The mother of a teenager who took his own life after exchanging gunfire with police in 2018 at Dennis Intermediate School in Richmond now faces several felony charges.
On Friday, Oct. 11, the following charges were filed against 43-year-old Mary York:
- Dangerous control of a child – permit child to possess handgun while aware of risk (Level 5 felony)
- 2 counts: Neglect of a dependent – places dependent in situation that endangers the dependent (Level 6 felony)
- 3 counts: Neglect of a dependent – deprives dependent of necessary support (Level 6 felony)
- Criminal recklessness (Class B misdemeanor)
The shooting happened on Dec. 13, 2018. Police confronted a 14-year-old boy outside of the school. He then ran inside before exchanging shots with the officers.
He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after shooting out the glass of a locked door, police said. No officers, students or staff were injured.
York was the first to call 911. She reported that her son had taken her boyfriend at the time hostage at gunpoint and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t drive him to the school. She later told FOX59 she didn’t see any warning signs and tried to do everything she could to stop him.
Police said in April of 2019 that her actions likely saved lives. She said her son was being bullied, but police said it wasn’t a relevant factor and he didn’t target a specific person. Indiana State Police say the teen planned to cause “maximum damage and harm.”
During the incident, police said the teen had a rifle, a pistol, ammunition, water bottles filled with gasoline, rags for makeshift Molotov cocktails, Mountain Dew, and a handwritten plan of action for what he wanted to do once in the school. The guns belonged to York’s boyfriend, and the teen was able to break into a safe to get them.
Court documents filed Friday show the shooter had been dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts. He had been checked into a program for 10 days, but York took him out because her insurance wouldn’t cover the cost and she said she couldn’t afford it. She did not make him take his prescribed medication, which he complained made him feel “weird.”
Health records outlined in the probable cause show the teen heard voices, saw things that were not there and expressed homicidal intentions against those who bullied him.
During a police interview in February of 2018, York told police she wasn’t aware of her son’s mental health diagnosis or what was said during his treatment. Investigators later found staff at the facility spoke to her about her son’s statements and that York would have been present when the teen made statements about harming himself and killing kids at school.
“Investigators were not able to find any documentation of actions that York took to address any bullying prior to December 13, 2018,” the document says. It also shows that the teen was sometimes left home alone.
FOX59 spoke with York Monday afternoon. She says she doesn’t understand why the prosecutor’s office is filing charges. She claims her son never told her he wanted to kill anyone and says doctors never told her about any diagnosis.
She said she was never able to get her boyfriend to take the guns out of the home. He has not been charged in the case.
On Tuesday, Indiana State Police said York turned herself in at the Wayne County Jail.
