Investigators ID man they say shot four siblings in Goshen
GOSHEN, Ind. (WIBC) — Some of the five people shot in Goshen on Saturday were teenagers, say investigators.
In a news conference Monday, Elkhart County Prosecutor Vicki Becker, Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman, and Goshen Police Chief Jose Miller laid out all the details they are willing to release about the shooting.
They say the shooter was David Varela Morales, 20. Police say he shot a group of five people, four of whom were siblings of the Arellanos-Rios family. Morales was one of the people shot. He died later at the hospital.
Chief Miller was quick to clarify some rumors about the motive for the shooting.
“I’ve seen a few things that have been posted publicly that I want to clear up,” Miler said. “One was stating this had to do with gang activity. This had nothing to do with gang activity.”
Police say one of the victims, who they only identified by the name “Richard,” died at the home along Rosemare Court where the shooting happened Police would not say how old Richard was.
“The news of this horrific shooting that has devastated families and our community has hit up all hard,” Mayor Stutsman said. “As a community, we need to support our police and public safety network. We also need to come together to create an impenetrable support system to help those in the most need when it comes to behavioral and mental health crises.”
Bethany Christian School in Goshen confirmed that the shooting involved the family of a student.
Miller says the shooting is part of a growing trend of escalating violence in Goshen.
“This year, so far since December 31, we have had 19 acts of gun violence, five injuries, four deaths, three adults arrested, four juveniles arrested, five residents shot at, and three incidents of vehicles being shot at,” he said.
Police don’t plan to release any more details about the shooting until they are done investigating.