Could parents of Indianapolis teens involved in crime be charged? Maybe
"I don't know how many times I have to say it. We are not your children's keepers. You are," Bailey said. "And parents and guardians have got to step up."
As police were in the process of breaking up a fight at around 1:30 a.m. on July 5, they heard gunfire from a mass shooting that killed Xavion Jackson, 16, and Azareaon S. Cole, 15. Two other teens and three adults were also injured.
On July 7, the Marion County Prosecutor's Office announced charges against four teens who were found downtown with guns around the time of the shooting. None of the teens, who range in age from 13 to 17, have been accused of committing the shooting, but are charged with possessing guns under the age of 18.
That charge, known as "dangerous possession of a firearm," is the most common charge filed in Marion County's juvenile court. It's increased dramatically in the last few years, Prosecutor Ryan Mears said. The eldest teen, who is being charged as an adult, already has a prior conviction for that charge.
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More: Ralph Durrett hopes to create 'positive childhood experiences' for Indianapolis' youth
To Bailey, Indianapolis' ongoing struggle with youth violence is at least in part due to guardians' negligence.
"If I can convince the prosecutor to hold parents accountable, I'm gonna do that, too," Bailey said on July 5.
Mears said more cases are expected to be filed in the coming days, and the possibility of cases against parents or guardians "will certainly be investigated."
It's not an entirely novel idea: in 2024, the parents of a Michigan school shooter were separately convicted of involuntary manslaughter, even though neither was directly involved in the killings.
Charges of that nature will likely require forensic analyses of phones and social media because investigators are looking for proof that parents knew or should have known their child had a gun.
Parents of the charged teens have not been "super cooperative in answering law enforcement questions," according to Mears.
"It's beyond ridiculous that a 13-year-old was walking around downtown with a gun," Mears said.
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The city announced plans to enforce a youth curfew prohibiting teens between 15 and 17 from being unaccompanied in public between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
A similar plan was announced more than a year ago after a different downtown Indianapolis mass shooting wounded seven teens. In April 2024, a feud between teens escalated into a gunfight, shining a national spotlight on the city's struggle to curb youth violence.
The results of that initiative are unclear. IndyStar has asked the city for the number of teens cited under the curfew over the past two years and has not yet received a response.
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Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Indianapolis Star
Can prosecutors be impeached? This Indiana lawmaker wants to try to change the law
The scrutiny over the Marion County Prosecutor's Office continues in response to a recent spate of gun violence in Indianapolis: this time with a Republican state representative proposing giving legislators impeachment power over the locally elected office. It's not the first hint of state intervention into this locally elected office, but it's certainly the most specific ― and would require a lengthy process of amending the state constitution. After two July weekends of back-to-back violence with multiple people killed, including teenagers, the city's police union president Rick Snyder called on state leaders to "step in," with no further details. Then Gov. Mike Braun said he'd be open to some kind of intervention ― without saying of what sort ― if Indianapolis leaders don't "make a change," specifically pointing the finger at the prosecutor's office, led by Democrat Ryan Mears. "We need to see a significant crackdown," Braun said last week. "Indianapolis' own justice system is not doing the job." Now, Indianapolis state Rep. Andrew Ireland has an idea: allow state lawmakers to impeach Mears, a power the state constitution currently vests in the Indiana Supreme Court. His key claim is that Mears doesn't do enough to keep repeat violent defenders off the streets, citing two recent examples: the case of the alleged IndyGo bus arsonist, Demarcus McCloud, who has a long rap sheet prior to the arson; and Zachary Arnold, who was charged with killing his daughter this year and previously had a violent criminal history. "I just want somebody who will hold the violent offenders accountable, and if Ryan Mears isn't up to that task, then we have to have tools to replace him," Ireland told WIBC's Tony Katz on July 23. A spokesperson for the Marion County Prosecutor's Office responded to Ireland's criticisms with data: In 2024, the office prosecuted nearly a quarter of all criminal trials in the state while maintaining trial conviction rates of 94% for murders, 84% for sex crimes, 83% for attempted murder cases, and 88% for gun cases. Of cases that go to trial, the top five most common offenses were for murder, battery, domestic battery, child molesting and possession of a firearm by serious violent felon, Michael Leffler said. "It's clear that this office is a statewide leader in taking crimes of violence, especially our most serious offenses to trial," he said. What the law says State lawmakers can impeach mayors and other state and local officers for "misdemeanors" while in office. But case law has held that prosecutors are constitutional, judicial officers who are not in the same category as state, county and township executive-branch officers, such as mayors. The constitution further outlines "crime, incapacity, or negligence" as reasons that the General Assembly could impeach a state officer. In the case of prosecutors, however, the state constitution says that the state Supreme Court may remove them, and only if they have been "convicted of corruption or other high crime." IU law professor Joel Schumm points to a Supreme Court opinion from 1914 that states the legislature doesn't have the power to name some other cause, such as "negligence," as a premise for impeachment. Where the legislature could have wiggle room, that opinion states, is in enacting changes to the procedure by which accusations against judges and prosecutors are tried. Those rules would have to be applicable to all judges and prosecutors and provide for a day in court, the court has opined. In short, Schumm said, broadening the basis for removing a prosecutor would require an amendment to the state constitution. That process requires two consecutive sessions of the General Assembly to pass identical language, which would then have to be approved by voters via ballot referendum in the following election. The constitution also enshrines the prosecutor's position as an elected one whose term lasts four years. "If people aren't happy with the work of a prosecutor, they can vote against that person in an election," Schumm said. Braun mulls special prosecutor concept Meanwhile, the governor's office is not tamping down talk of a different not-yet-allowed method of overriding Mears: Braun's appointing a special prosecutor. State law currently says the governor can recommend the state inspector general be named a special prosecutor over a particular case that the county prosecutor declines to take up, but even then, the ultimate decision lies with an appeals court judge. Judges have further powers to appoint special prosecutors in the events that there is evidence of the prosecutor having committed a crime, or to avoid an appearance of impropriety, or if the prosecutor requests one. Braun acknowledged Thursday that state lawmakers would have to pass legislation to grant him the ability to appoint a special prosecutor unilaterally. He reiterated that his preference would be that Marion County leaders "solve their own problems," but said if they don't, the state "can't just stand by doing nothing." "If (state lawmakers) choose to do it, that's fine, because that would have to be done before I have that authority to do so," he said. "I don't think we're there. I think there's going to be enough proactiveness, I'm hoping, but when the need is there before going to that, we're going to be interacting."
Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
FBI confirms it assisted Avon police and ICE with traffic stop arrests on July 22
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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Trump ‘clearly furious' that his summer victory tour has been swallowed by Epstein fallout, insiders reveal
President Donald Trump's victory celebrations following an uphill battle to pass his spending bill have been consumed by the Jeffrey Epstein saga — making Trump 'clearly furious,' according to a report. Trump signed what he called his 'big, beautiful bill' into law on July 4. The bill's passage marked a huge victory for the president's agenda, but it didn't spark the Independence Day fireworks that he hoped for. The news was swallowed up by the firestorm that followed two days later. The Justice Department released a July 6 memo stating there would be no further disclosures in the Epstein case. The response was explosive. Trump's MAGA supporters have demanded heightened transparency, the president has sued the Wall Street Journal for $10 billion after new allegations emerged around the president's ties to the late financier, and the attorney general has asked judges to unseal grand jury testimonies in the case. In recent weeks, Trump has also threatened new tariffs and met with world leaders. Still, the Epstein saga has sucked all the oxygen out of the room. The president isn't happy about it, according to staff and allies. 'POTUS is clearly furious,' a person close to the White House told Politico. 'It's the first time I've seen them sort of paralyzed.' A senior White House official told the outlet that Trump is 'frustrated' by the nonstop coverage on the case — which started in February when Attorney General Pam Bondi released 'Phase 1' of the files, which revealed little new information — and his team's ineffectiveness in stopping the spread of conspiracy theories. 'He feels there are way bigger stories that deserve attention,' the official said. Trump hasn't been shy about showing a bit of this frustration publicly as his MAGA supporters and prominent members of his own party have groaned about wanting more information on the case. During a July 8 cabinet meeting, Trump interrupted a question on the topic, asking: 'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years. You're asking — we have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things. And are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable.' Last week, he went so far as to attack his 'past supporters' for buying into 'this 'bulls***,' hook, line and sinker.' He wrote on social media: 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats' work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!' On Tuesday, CNN published newly unveiled photos showing Epstein at Trump's 1993 wedding to Marla Maples. When a reporter called Trump to ask about it, the president said: 'You've got to be kidding me.' He then repeatedly branded the network 'fake news' and, after 30 seconds, hung up, the outlet reported. This frustration comes from an acknowledgement that the topic is 'a vulnerability,' a White House ally told Politico. To add insult to injury, declassifying the Epstein files was a campaign promise. 'They're the ones that opened the can of worms on the Epstein conversation. No one made them do this, which makes it sting even worse,' the ally added. The president is no stranger to dominating the news cycle, but this saga appears to have slipped through his fingers, out of his control. Trump has tried to deflect the narrative to something else, such as his recent trade deals. Yet these attempts have come up unsuccessful. Aside from dealing with reports of mounting public pressure, reports of clashes within his administration have also surfaced. 'When you're working 12 to 15 hours a day to solve real problems and you turn on the TV and see people talking about Jeffrey Epstein, that's frustrating. That's where the president's mindset is,' the senior White House official told the outlet. Now, in an apparent effort to quell the uproar, Trump asked Bondi to release the grand jury transcripts in the cases of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend who is serving 20 years behind bars after her 2021 conviction for her role in a scheme to abuse girls with Epstein. Bondi filed motions to unseal transcripts in both cases; the judges overseeing the cases have asked the Justice Department for more information before proceeding. 'They would like to move on and talk about the things they think are Ws,' the White House ally told Politico. 'They are really annoyed that it's an overshadowing news cycle.'
