KOKOMO, Ind. — A 17-year-old boy was arrested in Kokomo following a vehicle crash and the shootings of a 16-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man, police said.
Both injured teens are recovering in Indianapolis hospitals.
A news release issued on Facebook by the Kokomo Police Department did not name any of the teens involved. On Friday afternoon, the 16-year-old was in critical condition, and the 18-year-old was stable at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital-Indianapolis.
The gunfire and an argument were reported at 4:42 a.m. Thursday in the 700 block of West Virginia Avenue. That’s in the Brand’s 2nd Addition neighborhood, located southwest of the intersection of South Washington Street and West Markland Avenue, both of which include State Road 22.
Patrol officers arrived at the shooting scene to find the 18-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.
The crash was reported at the same time about a block away in the 1100 block of South Courtland Avenue. Investigators learned the 17-year-old was driving a stolen 2007 Pontiac Vibe car northbound on Courtland Avenue and crashed into an empty, parked 2014 Chevrolet Malibu car. Officers at the crash scene also found the 16-year-old with gunshot wounds.
Investigators believe the crash and shooting incidents happened together.
While in the area, officers recovered firearms that had been reported as stolen and confirmed that the Vibe car had been stolen earlier in the day.
Authorities took the 17-year-old driver to the Kinsey Youth Center. Prosecutors preliminarily charged the teenager with a low-level felony count of auto theft with a prior conviction; a high-level misdemeanor count of dangerous possession of a firearm by a child; and a low-level misdemeanor count of never obtaining a valid driver’s license.
As investigators continue their work, anyone with additional information or recorded video was asked to call Detective Sgt. Drew J. Wallsmith at 765-456-7388 or dwallsmith@cityofkokomo.org. People with information to share anonymously can use Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana or the Kokomo Police Department’s Tip411 app.
