13-year-old accused of fatally shooting boy told 911 it was a suicide, Indiana cops say
A 13-year-old Indiana boy accused of fatally shooting another boy and trying to convince police it was a suicide is now charged with murder, officials told news outlets.
Officers responded to a call at 1 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, about an attempted suicide at a home in Greenwood, a suburb roughly 10 miles south of downtown Indianapolis, WTHR reported. Parents were asleep and woke up when police knocked on the door, and together they found the wounded boy, James Davis, the station reported. He had been shot and was taken to a hospital in critical condition, but he was pronounced dead several days later on Nov. 15.
Officials are now pursuing murder charges against the suspect, the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Nov. 20, outlets report. Authorities have not publicly named the suspect because he’s a minor.
The initial report made to the Greenwood Police Department on the night of the shooting didn’t match up with what investigators learned.
Instead, they say Davis and five other juveniles were playing with a gun at the house when one boy aimed the weapon at Davis and shot him, WISH reported.
The group scattered, leaving Davis behind, police told the outlet. About 20 minutes later, the boy who investigators say shot Davis called 911 and said Davis had tried to take his own life, the outlet reported.
Officials believe the killing may have been more than a tragic mistake.
“We don’t believe that the shooting is accidental, but it is still under investigation,” Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner told the station.
The teen suspect is charged with criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, in addition to murder, WXIN reported.
Prosecutors have not determined yet whether the boy will be tried as an adult, the station reported, but if he is, both charges will be felonies.
The first court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 26, according to the outlet.
This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 3:59 PM with the headline "13-year-old accused of fatally shooting boy told 911 it was a suicide, Indiana cops say."