INDIANAPOLIS — Formal criminal charges are expected this week in the case against a 17-year-old boy accused of a weekend mass shooting on Adams Street.
The case against the boy will begin in adult court, according to the Marion County Prosecutor's Office. A spokesman for the prosecutor's office said Indiana law establishes that a 17-year-old who allegedly commits certain felony crimes, including murder and attempted murder, must be charged as an adult.
The boy is being held in connection with the shooting death of five people and an unborn child early Sunday morning in the 3500 block of Adams Street.
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Police have said the boy was allegedly upset with his father after reportedly getting in trouble for leaving his home without permission.
The boy's father reportedly warned him he was going to get into trouble before the teen is accused of opening fire on multiple members of his family including his parents, siblings, and a pregnant woman who was inside the home at the time.
A teenage brother survived the shooting and was able to run to a nearby home where he asked a neighbor to call for help.
The Marion County Coroner's Office has identified the victims as Rita Childs, 13, Elijah Childs, 18, Kezzie and Raymond Childs Jr., both 42, Kiara Hawkins, 19, and the unborn child of Kiara as "Baby Boy Hawkins."
The prosecutor's office said there are a wide range of outcomes and possibilities in cases such as the Adams Street mass shooting. Among the possibilities is a reverse waiver, a process that can be filed by the defense, and if granted by a judge could move the case back to juvenile court jurisdiction.
The prosecutor's office also confirmed that under state law, a 17-year-old defendant is not eligible for the death penalty.
