Mayor calls for change after teen shot, killed in Beech Grove
BEECH GROVE, Ind. (WISH) – Beech Grove recorded its first homicides since 2015 over the weekend.
But police say those who shot and killed 29-year-old Seth Easley and 14-year-old Earnest Sneed may never face charges.
In the end charges would come from the Marion County Prosecutors Office, but Beech Grove’s mayor says this was more than likely self defense.
“It was so upsetting to get called to a crime scene Saturday morning and there’s a 14-year-old child laying in the street, dead. We got to do better than that,” said Mayor Dennis Buckley. “Saturday was very difficult.”
The Marion County Coroner’s Office identified the 14-year-old as Earnest Sneed. Police say the 29-year-old he was with is Seth Easley.
Saturday morning the two approached armed security guards outside The Grove Sports Bar.
In a botched robbery attempt the two were killed. Sneed was shot three times.
“It just seems like respect for life is no longer prevalent to a lot of people,” said Mayor Buckley.
The Grove is in the middle of a neighborhood.
Neighbors say the problem isn’t the bar, but the city’s kids.
“I got up the other morning at 2 a.m., heard a bunch of racket and I looked out my front window and there was a bunch of kids standing here in front of my house,” said Pam Bell, who lives nearby.
Mayor Buckley says the city has new programs in the works geared towards at-risk youth.
“Our perspective is that every life matters. And we have to do things to create an environment that kids will go down the right path,” said Mayor Buckley.
The city recently renovated its community center. They are in the talks with Reach for Youth to implement a Teen Court. 24-Hour News 8 profiled the program last summer.
The 40-year-old program is currently in place in Indianapolis and Johnson County. Teens act as lawyer and jury to correct the behavior of their classmates.
“We have to respect life, and all life. And if everybody doesn’t matter than we’re all sunk,” said Mayor Buckley.
Indianapolis Public Schools confirmed Monday afternoon that Sneed was a student at Arsenal Tech High School.
As for Beech Grove rolling out these new programs, the mayor says they’re waiting for grants to be approved.
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