Deadly shootings in Indiana were not random acts of violence, authorities say

This week, four people were killed by gunshots in Gary, Indiana. In response to safety concerns, the city leaders said that the shooting deaths were not random acts of violence.

On October 2 and 3, almost 24 hours apart, four people, including two kids, were shot and murdered, causing locals to express their worry. Two of the victims were under the age of 18.

On Sunday, the body of 50-year-old April King was discovered inside an abandoned house. A man with a head wound was found on the house’s front porch, leading police to believe the incident was an attempted murder-suicide.

Later on the same day, 37-year-old Arlandus Jackson was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound. It was determined that he had passed away afterwards.

On Monday morning, officers in Gary discovered two teenagers, Dayvion Jones, 16, and Bobby Wright, 14, who had been shot and were not responding. The coroner’s office determined that their deaths were the result of murders.

Even though the recent deaths have shocked the small Indiana town, local authorities say that none of the crimes were random and that neither drugs nor gangs had anything to do with any of them.

“We believe [the teens] were killed together at the same time. Officers have very good leads in this case,” Gary Police Chief Brian Evans said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The residents of Gary, which is located around 30 miles south of Chicago, have been reassured by their mayor, Jerome Prince, that public safety is a top priority for city authorities.

“I want to say this is not Gary. This is certainly not who we are,” Prince told reporters.

“We do everything in our efforts to make sure that it’s a safe city, understanding that ‘safe’ is a matter of perspective,” the Democratic mayor added.

Since October 2021, there have been a total of 52 people murdered in Gary, which is a 44% year-over-year increase.

The deaths are now being looked into by the Gary Police Department, the Metro Homicide Division, and both federal and local authorities.

The authorities are requesting that anybody who may have information about this case call the Gary/Lake County Metro Homicide Unit at the following number: 219-755-3855.