INDIANAPOLIS — Just four days into 2021 and the City of Indianapolis has already seen three deadly shootings. With each homicide is a family who not only has to deal with the loss of a loved one, but the financial burden of a funeral and burial as well.
Local faith leaders tell us this isn’t a new problem, but one they’re seeing more frequently as homicides continue. They tell us many victims are young and don’t have life insurance, so their families are left to cover the cost of a burial which can be thousands of dollars. Church leaders and the community often come together to help raise money for these families.
“It is heartbreaking when you get the phone call and you're talking with the family, they're already grieving about the fact that they have lost a son or daughter or nephew or niece, but then they are trying to find the resources to bury them. It is very heavy on these families,” said Reverend Charles Harrison with Barnes United Methodist Church.
Rev. Harrison hopes to eventually start a community fund for homicide victims’ families to help with these expenses.
