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Updated May 22
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A 12-year-old Indianapolis boy has died after being shot in the head by a gunshot fired into his grandparents' home, family members said.
Dayshawn Bills died around 5 p.m. Friday at Riley Children’s Hospital, they said. He had been on life support and had been declared brain dead following the shooting.
The 7th grader was shot around 3:30 a.m. Thursday at the home on the city's northeast side. He was playing video games with family members at the time.
Mayor Joe Hogsett condemned the shooting at a news conference later that morning.
“This cannot be the lived experience of families in our city — anywhere in our city,” Hogsett said.
No arrests have been made. Hogsett and police encouraged anyone with information on the shooting to share it with investigators.
Original post May 20
INDIANAPOLIS — A 12-year-old Indianapolis boy visiting his grandparents was critically injured after being struck by at least one gunshot fired into their home early Thursday, police said.
The boy was listed in critical condition at Riley Children’s Hospital following the shooting that occurred just after 3:30 a.m. on the city's northeast side, Indianapolis police Officer Samone Burris said.
The randomness of the shooting resonated through the community, leading Mayor Joe Hogsett and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Randal Taylor to appear at a news conference.
“It is an absolutely shattering experience, and I cannot imagine what his family is going through,” Hogsett said.
“This cannot be the lived experience of families in our city — anywhere in our city,” the mayor said.
Taylor said the boy was playing video games with other family members when he was shot.
“A 12-year-old was hanging out with family, ends up getting shot,” Taylor said.
In a statement, Indianapolis Public Schools said the boy is a 7th grade student at Arlington Middle School.
"This is a tragedy that our families and communities should never have to experience, and we are saddened by the gun violence that continues to impact us all," the statement read.
No arrests have been made. Hogsett and police encouraged anyone with information on the shooting to share it with investigators.
“Maybe you really don’t know what you saw, but it could help us solve this case,” Burris said. “So that’s why we are encouraging people to come forward with that information so that we can know and gather the facts about what actually occurred before that 12-year-old was shot.”
WFYI News contributed to this report.
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