Greenwood teen fatally shot after family moved to escape violence
GREENWOOD, Ind (WISH) — A teen was shot to death outside his Greenwood home early Friday morning.
It happened around 2 a.m. Friday at the Honey Creek Apartments on State Road 135 south of Smith Valley Road.
Police identified the victim as 19-year old Erion Dae Quan Mitchell. Authorities said Mitchell’s family moved to Greenwood two months ago to escape the violence of Indianapolis.
Instead of an escape to safety, Mitchell’s family found themselves in the middle of a crime scene.
“The gunshots woke me up,” said Nathan Sapp, who lives nearby. “It sounded like somebody was beating on the door at first and then we heard people saying, ‘He’s not breathing.’ And then we came outside.”
Snapp lives in the building where Mitchell lived. By the time police arrived, Mitchell was dead and the suspects were gone. Except for some overlooked remnants, the crime scene was cleared by daylight. But it wasn’t far from the minds of many in the community.
“It’s really sad that a 19-year old kid had to go like that,” said Nicholas Mulinaro, who also lives in the complex.
According to Johnson County Deputy Prosecutor Drew Foster, the suspect traveled from Indianapolis to Greenwood and gunned down Mitchell. Foster believes Mitchell and the shooter knew each other. He also believes multiple people were involved in the crime.
“This is very sad that it happened. Everybody wants the best for their kids. You want to provide for your family,” said Foster.
Investigators spent hours on the scene talking to neighbors and potential witnesses but did not make an immediate arrest.
“Law enforcement, Greenwood Police Department has some great detectives, and they’re going to look into this, and we’re going to get to the bottom of this,” said Foster.
Mitchell’s death marks the first murder in Johnson County in 2019. According to Foster, there was one murder altogether in the county in 2018.
If you have any information that could help in this investigation contact the Greenwood Police Department tip line at 317-865-0300.
