Police reported that a shooting near a mall in Indianapolis on Saturday night left seven kids injured, according to NBC News.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers were on patrol when they heard gunshots just after 11:30 p.m. and arrived on the block near the Circle Centre mall, police said.
Emergency medical services arrived and transported the children to hospitals, while a seventh person arrived at the hospital on his own. One victim is in critical condition, the other six are stable. According to police, all of the victims were between 12 and 17 years old.
Tanya Terry, deputy chief of operations for Indianapolis Metropolitan Police, described the shooting as “deeply concerning.”
“Once again, we have a situation where young people are resolving conflict with firearms, and it has to stop,” Terry said.
Officers have noticed a trend of young people leaving the mall after it closes at 7 p.m. and circling the downtown area for hours on end, and if parents don’t know where their 12-year-old is at 11:30 p.m. before Easter it should “be a priority,” Terry said.
This is the third shooting in three weeks in Indianapolis, according to NBC News affiliate WTHR.
Earlier last Sunday, five people, including an officer, were killed in a shooting on the city’s east side, the station reported. In that case, a police officer shot and killed the suspect.
