A mass shooting in downtown Indianapolis killed two teenage boys and injured five others, just hours after the city’s Fourth of July fireworks display.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) was responding to a disturbance around 1:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, July 5, when authorities were notified of another disturbance near Illinois and Washington Street and heard “shots fired” as they approached, deputy chief of operations Tanya Terry confirmed in a preliminary statement hours later.
Authorities discovered “several people” with gunshot wounds on the scene, and emergency personnel transported the victims to local hospitals for treatment. One person later brought themselves to the hospital.
The shooting killed two people: a 16-year-old boy who was pronounced dead on the scene and a 15-year-old boy who was pronounced dead after being hospitalised, according to an update provided by the IMPD during a press conference later in the afternoon on July 5.
Chief Christopher Bailey announced that the shooting victims ranged in age from 15 to 21.
“What happened should have left us all shaken,” Bailey said in a statement on July 5.
“We cannot grow numb to the violence in our community, wherever it occurs,” according to him. “We can’t accept this as normal. I stand here today angry, heartbroken, and frustrated because too many lives are lost, too many families are grieving, and too many young people are growing up in an environment of violence and trauma.”
Terry confirmed on July 5 that multiple firearms were discovered at the scene, but authorities were unsure if they were used in the shooting. Seven people were detained for further questioning, she said.
Police have not identified the victims or named any suspects.
A spokesperson for the IMPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional information on July 5.
Bailey confirmed at the afternoon press conference that approximately 20 people were arrested overnight for a variety of reasons. According to NBC affiliate WTHR, authorities initially responded to a fight about a half block away from where the shooting occurred.
The shooting came after the city’s annual Fourth Fest, which included live performances and ended with a 20-minute fireworks display at 10:15 p.m.
Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a statement shared on X that gun violence was “unacceptable” and that officials would be “taking steps to begin active enforcement of the curfew for young people in our city’s downtown.”
“Today, two families are having to grapple with the most unimaginable pain of finding out they will never see their child again,” he told reporters. “Several families had to get the call that no parent should ever have to get that their child was shot and injured.”
According to The Indianapolis Star, this is the second consecutive weekend of violence in Indianapolis, following last weekend’s shootings that killed seven and injured nine.
