IMPD stresses gun safety after 17-year-old killed, 14-year-old hurt

INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — 17-year-old Alexander Salgado-Bedolla died, and a 14-year-old boy was injured Tuesday night in a shooting at an east side home.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the 2100 block of Wallace Avenue just before 7 p.m. Tuesday. Detectives are working to determine what happened inside the home, while police urge families to have difficult conversations about gun violence.

“I can’t imagine what that family’s going through, that community’s going through the friends in that neighborhood who know those individuals what they’re going through. It’s a very, very difficult time and our thoughts and prayers are with them,” Officer Tommy Thompson said.

Police said the victims’ ages make the case especially troubling.

“Why do youth keeping having firearms, and where do they keep getting them from,” Thompson asked.

IMPD officials said these questions cannot wait until after a shooting. Police urged parents to talk to their children about guns, conflict, and the consequences of a single decision. They also want parents to practice safe gun handling and lock firearms.

“It’s not enough to put them in a drawer, put them in a closet, that’s not safe gun ownership. You need a gun safe. If you need trigger locks, we have trigger locks. Courtesy of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, they’re available at all the public libraries in Indianapolis,” Thompson said.

As police work to prevent another tragedy, detectives continue to seek answers in this case.

“It’s sad. There’s a lot that the detectives are looking at right now. It’s a very ongoing situation. We’re working with the Marion County Coroner’s Office, crime lab looking over a lot of different things, so there’s still a lot that’s not going to be said,” Thompson said.

Previous Reporting: https://www.wishtv.com/news/17-year-old-dies-14-year-old-critically-hurt-in-shooting-at-housing-addition/