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11-year-old arrested; 28-year-old relative shot, killed in Kokomo

KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) — Kokomo police have arrested an 11-year-old in connection with the shooting death of a 28-year-old man in the 5200 block of Ojibway Drive. 

The incident occurred at 3:17 p.m. Wednesday, according to police. The man, identified as Randall W. Rogers, was found with a single gunshot wound to the head. 

“The investigation revealed Rogers was shot by an 11-year-old juvenile relative. The juvenile also resided at that address,” said Kokomo police officers in a published statement. 

Neighbors who spoke to 24-Hour News 8 said the 11-year-old is a boy with autism and the 28-year-old was his oldest brother.

“I think it was an accident. I don’t know. I really don’t think it was intentional,” said Roger Ewing, a neighbor. 

Ewing lives across the street from the family and said the young boy had approached him in his driveway. 

“He’d walk up in the yard, looking for a friend or something,” said Ewing, noting he had noticed the boy had a developmental disability. “He seemed like an intelligent enough kid. I could understand where he was coming from. Reaching out to someone for a friendship.”

Ewing said he came home Wednesday afternoon to a street full of police cars. 

“I saw a little kid get out of the car, the police car, he was screaming and crying and I kind of got emotional,” Ewing said. “I could hardly sleep last night thinking about him.” 

Other neighbors we spoke to said the boy would wander into their homes or fire a BB gun in the street. Another neighbor said another of the boy’s brothers had recently purchased a firearm. 

Kokomo police say the 11-year-old has been detained at the Kinsey Youth Center “for a delinquent act that would be voluntary manslaughter, if the crime was committed by an adult.”

They say the incident is still under investigation.

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