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15-year-old arrested on murder charge in triple homicide

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Police arrested a 15-year-old Tuesday morning in connection with a triple homicide.

Three men were found dead Sunday at the Somerset Apartments near 79th Street west of Dean Road.

The teen is behind bars at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center. WISH-TV won’t identify him because he faces criminal charges in juvenile court.

He appeared before a judge Tuesday afternoon for a detention hearing — where it’s decided whether or not to keep him in custody or release him. The judge ordered that he remain behind bars. He faces a preliminary charge of murder as a juvenile.

Although one suspect is behind bars, the community does not necessarily see it as a good thing.

A 15-year-old is behind bars and three people are dead. This is a story that seems to have no winners

“Shocking to have someone that young take three lives. This is the society that we are living in now,” Leonard Darring Sr. said.

Darring lives in the apartment building next to where one of the victims, 25-year-old Jordan Wright — somebody he called a friend — lived.

“My heart sank. It just sank. It really sank when I found out it was Jordan,” Darring said.

Along with Jordan, two others were shot and killed: 25-year-old Dominique Miller and 19-year-old Justin Crowder. Friends and family on Monday remembered the three men for their good deeds.

According to police, the juvenile and up to two others went to the apartment. In a drug-related disagreement, somebody pulled out a gun and fired shots. Police aren’t sure if the 15-year-old fired the shots, but did say he was injured. That injury is what led to his arrest.

“So basically, after the initial run came out on the north side, investigators got another report of a person injured at Methodist Hospital,” said Genae Cook, a spokeswoman for Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

IU Health Methodist Hospital contacted police. Cook said police connected the teen to the crime after an investigation.

“You know 15-year-olds should be enjoying life, enjoying their high school life and looking forward to college, not looking forward to jail time,” Cook said.

The Marion County prosecutor would decide whether to charge the 15-year-old as an adult. Prosecutors filed a continuance to give them more time to investigate. If they decide to charge him as an adult, they will have to file a special waiver because he is younger than 16 years old. A hearing would then follow.

Darring already has his mind made up.

“If you can do adult crime, you should be tried as an adult. If you’ve got that much nerve and thug or a gangster-type person. You should suffer the penalty,” Darring said.

An initial hearing is set for July 25.

Police say there is at least one other, maybe two suspects at large. Call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 with any information.

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