INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD is working to turn a tragedy into positivity.
The department raised $500 for a mother of four after her 10-year-old was shot.
10-year-old Ka'leeah Brown's mother tells WRTV buying Christmas presents is tougher this year following the shooting.
She's thankful metro police stepped in to help.
"It just shows me that there are good cops out there," Laquisha Brown said.
Laquisha Brown says it's been a tough year for her family.
They're still recovering after Ka'leeah was shot while sleeping in her home.
It happened on Winterberry Drive on August 23.
Ka'leeah Brown was 9 years old at the time.
Police are still searching for the person responsible.
"Recovery is good physically, mentally no. It's still pretty rough. There are nights that my kids still wake up screaming and crying. There are nights that I don't sleep. It's going to take time," Laquisha Brown said.
Brown says she told her four daughter's there weren't going to be as many presents under the tree this year.
Then, she got a call from IMPD.
"I got a phone call and it was unknown. I thought it was the detective giving me an update on the case and the cop told me he would love to take my daughter shopping and of course I agreed," Laquisha Brown said. "As a mother of four, it's a lot. They can be expensive, so it took a lot of weight off my shoulders to know my kids will be happy this Christmas."
"It gives us a feeling that is hard to describe," officer Ryan Deakin said.
IMPD Northwest District officers responded to the call for help.
Office Ryan Deakin says they understand the trauma children and their families face after something like this.
"When we heard about this, it was obviously tragic and we instantly started brainstorming and said this is a little girl that we can shop for Christmas to try and make this positive for her," Deakin said.
It is a shopping spree, the Brown family is thankful for.
"For my kids to have a smile on their face, that's all that matters," Brown said.
-
Greenfield growth drives push for a third fire station as emergency calls surge
Now there's a push to get a third fire station amid more concerns about response times and available resources within the Greenfield Fire Territory.
"It’s always a gamble": Indiana farmers watch weather as drought deepens
The latest Drought Monitor, released January 8, shows that 68% of Indiana is in some form of drought.
Indianapolis cracks down on vacant properties with Continuous Vacancy program
The city says it’s implementing a new program to address properties that have sat vacant for years, often becoming magnets for squatters, drug activity and fires.
A petition is looking to regulate license plate cameras in Indiana
Automated license plate readers help police solve crimes, but some argue that they lack state oversight in Indiana.
