INDIANAPOLIS -- A 15-year-old who died days after being shot in the head last week was trying to steal drugs when he was fatally wounded, according to charges filed Tuesday.
Police arrested 18-year-old Eric Morris in connection with the shooting Tuesday evening, which originally left the 15-year-old victim in critical condition.
The victim, Joshua Lutrell, later succumbed to his injuries. Morris was formally charged Tuesday with Lutrell’s murder.
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According to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case, Lutrell and two other teens told friends they were going to rob Morris of some weed because Morris had allegedly tried to rob another one of their friends.
The two other teens in the vehicle with Lutrell told police they pulled up to a house in the 3900 block of South Ewing Street, at which point Morris approached them and packed a bowl of marijuana and began passing it around.
According to the teens, the car, a stick shift, began rolling forward slightly, at which point Morris allegedly opened fire, striking Lutrell in the head.
Police found at least four bullet holes in the vehicle, all of which appeared to have been fired from behind the car.
Police also learned that Morris, a student at Southport High School, had a pending gun permit.
Morris was located the following day at Southport High School and arrested on a charge of attempted murder. Police also obtained a search warrant for his home, where they reportedly found a Taurus 9mm PT111 pistol and 9mm ammunition – the same type of ammunition used in the previous day’s shooting.
Lutrell was pronounced dead at Methodist Hospital at 10:35 p.m. on Friday.
MAP | 2017 Indianapolis Homicides
On Tuesday, Marion County prosecutors filed a formal charge of murder against Morris. He was being held at the Marion County Jail without bond.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether any of the other juveniles involved in the incident could face charges.
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