GREENWOOD, Ind. — The Greenwood Police Department says a 13-year-old boy could face an attempted murder charge after allegedly shooting another 13-year-old boy early Sunday morning.
According to a news release from police, around 1 a.m. Nov. 10, officers initially responded to a report of an attempted suicide at a home in the 1100 block of Crescent Drive, in a neighborhood just south of Greenwood Community High School.
Medics arrived and took a 13-year-old victim to Riley Hospital in Indianapolis in critical condition.
During the investigation, detectives discovered that five other juveniles were all present at the time of the shooting and were playing with a gun. At some point, the suspect pointed the gun at the victim and pulled the trigger.
After the shooting, all five juveniles fled the scene. Twenty minutes later, police say the shooter reportedly called 911 to report an "attempted suicide."
Following the investigation, police arrested the 13-year-old shooter on a preliminary charge of attempted murder. Police say he is currently being held at the Johnson County Juvenile Detention Facility. The prosecutor's office will make the final charging decision.
Greenwood police told 13News the parents were at the home when the shooting happened, but they were asleep and didn't wake up until officers banged on their door.
Chad Smothers was staying at his mom's house nearby.
"I've got three kids in the house, and I don't I don't like hearing stories like this, no one does," Smothers said.
Nearby neighbors say they didn't hear the shot overnight, but it's now sparking a larger conversation about kids and gun safety.
"If the gun was already in the house, I got to say there's got to be better safety precautions with parents of kids that are old enough to be able to hold something and handle something like that, parents' fault," Smothers said. "Kids should be aware and informed. Maybe this is something that should be just as important as sex education in schools."
Smothers says he has these conversation with his own kids.
"If your kids aren't aware of the serious nature of what a gun looks like and what it can do and what to do if you see one, then have that talk with your kids," Smothers said.
Smothers also said he's saying an extra prayer for the boy injured.
"I'm praying for him and his family, and probably for the young man, the other kid that might be in big trouble right now. Everyone involved is going to have to do a lot of healing and thinking about what happened, and if we can all learn one lesson, it's that guns are real dangerous," Smothers said.
13News confirmed that some of the juveniles are currently students at Greenwood Middle School.
According to a release from the Greenwood Community School Corporation, Greenwood Middle School will be on a two-hour delay on Monday, Nov. 11 in order to prepare support for students. The school's Veterans Day program will also be rescheduled.
The school district says it will offer counseling services for students and opportunities for open discussions.
Police are still investigating who owns the gun.