At least 7 youths injured in Indianapolis shooting incident, one in critical condition

At least seven young individuals, ranging between the ages of 12 and 17, sustained injuries, including one who is presently in critical condition, in a shooting incident at anIndianapolis metropolis mall on Sunday (Mar 31).

The mass shooting came to light after several gunshots were heardafter 11:30 pm local time. Upon hearing the gun shots, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers, on their regular patrol, were alerted and swiftly responded to the scene near Circle Center Mall.

According to police reports, six individuals were found wounded by gunfire.

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Later, they were swiftly attended to by emergency medical services and were moved to the hospital and the remaining one juvenile came on their own at the medical facility.One of the seven remains in critical condition while the remaining six are in stable condition.

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Deputy Chief of Operations for Indianapolis Metropolitan Police, Tanya Terry, expressed grave concern over the incident, stating,"Once again, we have a situation where young people are resolving conflict with firearms, and it has to stop."

While sharing circumstantial information on the incident, Terry highlighted a recurring pattern of young individuals congregating in the downtown area after the mall's closing hours.

The police officer urged parents to take proactive measures in monitoring their children's activities.

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"I think everybody sees the messages in the evening at 10 o'clock, 'Parents do you know where your children are?'," Terry said while adding, "And we would ask for our parents to get involved in what their children are out doing, especially at these hours of the evening."

As of now, no arrests have been made in connection to the shooting. An investigation is currently underway to nab the one who carried out the mass shooting.

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Notably, the incident is the third consecutive weekend with shooting incidents in Indianapolis.

Previous incidents

Just last Sunday (Mar 24), a shooting resulted in the killing of one individual and resulted in injuries tofive, including a police officer. The suspect was shot dead by law enforcement. Moreover, on March 16, a shooting at a bar claimed one life and left five others injured. A suspect was apprehended and charged following identification through surveillance footage within the bar."When officers arrived, they located a total of five adult male victims with injuries consistent with gunshot wound(s)," Indianapolis police reportedly said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)