Juvenile homicide cases decline but youth gun charges rise

Indianapolis, Indiana – The 16-year-old boy was killed by his friend last week after a group of teens were displaying a pistol as a girlfriend was filming cell phone recordings, according to investigators. This year, the IMPD has recorded six youth gun killings.

According to the IMPD, 15 youngsters were killed by gun violence at this time last year.
The Marion County Prosecutor filed more than 400 juvenile gun cases between the first half of 2023 and the first half of this year—more than one case every day—setting a record for submissions over a 12-month period.

When U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy acknowledged in late June what pediatric surgeons in Indianapolis have been seeing in their emergency rooms for the past few years, the city’s officials and medical community cheered.

“Dr. Michele Saysanaz, V.P., chief medical officer at IU Health Methodist and University hospitals, highlighted how firearm violence is currently the leading cause of death among children and adolescents. The U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence a public health crisis.”

Consider the following: in the past month, police in Marion County have arrested a number of juveniles on charges of armed robbery; two children and an adult were arrested for attempting to break into a gun store in Beech Grove; an investigation was conducted into the shooting death of a child who shot his mother’s boyfriend out of fear that the man was going to commit domestic violence; they responded to a fatal crash involving a 17-year-old boy who was fleeing the scene in a car after officers spotted youths placing multiple firearms in the vehicle; and an east side man was arrested for letting three children, ages 10 to 14, discharge their firearms at their apartment complex. This is the same community where teen rappers have posted videos this year flashing their weapons and making false claims of murdering their rivals, whether real or not.

King Akpan, a 17-year-old youth leader with Tru Colors Ambassadors, described the feeling he had as “that pride that I have to be strong because systematically I’ve been weak my whole life from the system.” He added, “The government, from other people, my peers, their biases, their racism, has made me feel weak, so, now I’m gonna feel strong, exert my will over someone else and hurt them and self-incrimination, I’m gonna talk about because nothing can touch me.”

Teenagers from Tru Colors Ambassadors recently participated in a Saturday discussion with representatives from the mayor’s office, police, public health, and education departments in Indianapolis to discuss the issues affecting the city’s youth.

“I think a lot of social media makes it so easy to commit acts of violence and glorifies it, especially when it involves guns.” Instagram and other social media platforms are often used to spark fast disagreements. As a result, things can escalate from being discussed online to involving physical violence in person very quickly, according to Akpan. “With or without phones, youth violence is still a problem; it’s just easier.”

Sean River, 17, stated, “These rap videos these days influence sex, violence, and drugs; that’s one type of influence that leads from a young age up to older also.” “You can truly see the impact of the street.” If you notice a child who has never been around a group of people trying to approach them, you can literally drag them toward the group quicker than they can move.Step outdoors, grab your phone, and look up after-school and up centers. These folks are connected to better and more significant things in life.

Last week, the first Hospital-Linked Violence Intervention Program in the state was announced by Mayor Joe Hogsett in collaboration with Indy Peace, IU Health-Methodist Hospital, and the Indy Public Safety Foundation.

“We’re strengthening our capacity to assist citizens affected by gun violence by connecting the city’s resources—Indy Peace in particular—directly to IU Health-Methodist Hospital,” stated Hogsett. More people than ever are being reached by us. We are providing them with the means to live contented and quiet lives.

Victims of violence will engage with the IU Health HVIP at their bedsides.

“We’re assembling a multidisciplinary team that includes clinicians, doctors, nurses, life coaches, program managers, and members of the community,” stated Dane Nutty, president and CEO of the Indy Public Safety Foundation. “Our team’s ability to start bedside and inside the hospital walls allows us to really build that trust and create that relationship that we can continue for 12 to 18 months and beyond, even after that individual is discharged, when it’s often difficult to continue providing support.”

Although the IU Health HVIP collaborates with local organizations, its methodology is akin to that of Eskenazi Hospital’s Prescription for Hope program, which also offers counseling to victims of violence who may want to look for help in overcoming their trauma or consider adopting a different way of life.

With the help of a quarter-million dollar Elevation Grant from the city, the IU Health HVIP was able to start its program last spring and has now enrolled six patients in the Indy Peace Fellowship, which offers continuous support and counseling.

“We had achieved a 32% reduction in criminal homicides from 2021 through 2023,” Hogsett stated, emphasizing the accomplishment of his administration’s $150 million investment in community violence reduction initiatives during a period when violent crime rates nationwide were declining. “And we have outpaced the rate of the national decline in the last two years.”