‘Different kind of evil’: 5 dead, including pregnant woman, as Indianapolis suffers ‘mass murder’ shooting

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) received a 911 call before 4am local time on Sunday. Responding officers discovered “a juvenile male with apparent gunshot wounds,” before they entered the house which was the scene of the mass shooting less than a block away.

The bodies of five people, including a pregnant woman and her unborn child, were discovered. The victims were identified by police as Kezzie Childs, 42; Raymond Childs, 42; Elijah Childs, 18; Rita Childs, 13; Kiara Hawkins, 19; and Hawkins’ baby.

Police believe more than one shooter may have carried out the atrocity, and authorities have struggled to find the words to describe the horrors perpetrated. 

“What happened this morning was not an act of simple gun violence. … What happened this morning was a mass murder,” Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said during a press conference.

“This does not appear to be a random act,” IMPD Sgt. Shane Foley told reporters. 

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Randall Taylor said on Sunday that no suspects have yet been identified, though forensic investigations at the scene of the shooting continue. The US Attorney’s office and FBI have been called in to assist in the investigation. 

The horrific incident, which the chief described as a “different kind of evil,” comes amid a recent spate of gun violence in the city, which registered a grim record of 245 homicides in 2020, marking a 40 percent increase from the previous year.

The newly installed Biden administration has vowed “to defeat the NRA (National Rifle Association) and end our epidemic of gun violence.” The gun rights advocacy group responded by warning Americans that their president is seeking to infringe on their constitutional rights and “wants to ban our semi-auto rifles, tax our guns” and “more.”

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