INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly having children shoot a gun at an apartment complex on Indy's near northeast side Saturday morning.
Just after 7 a.m. July 27, IMPD officers responded to the 2300 block of Hillside Avenue, near East 25th Street and Ralston Avenue, after multiple 911 callers said someone was firing shots at an apartment complex in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood.
When authorities arrived on scene, they spoke to multiple witnesses who said a man and three children fired a gun several times in the parking lot before running back inside an apartment.
IMPD said they received video of the incident that showed a man shoot a gun in the air before passing it to three children who also fired shots into the air. They all then ran into a nearby apartment.
Police said they surrounded the apartment shortly after and made announcements for everyone inside the apartment to leave.
Two adults and four children walked out of the apartment and were taken into custody.
One man, later identified as Jeffery Ware, 37, of Indianapolis, stayed inside and refused to leave the apartment.
A search warrant for the apartment was granted, and Ware was eventually taken into custody.
IMPD said it was "immediately apparent" that Ware was the man in the video shooting the gun into the air.
Three of the children who were detained matched the clothing and physical descriptions of the people in the video also seen firing the gun. IMPD said they learned the kids were between 10 and 14 years old. The children told officers they had been "encouraged" by Ware to shoot his gun.
During an interview with police, one of the children said Ware was "high or something" and woke them up along with the other children and said "come get the gun, come shoot the gun," according to court documents.
Ware was arrested and charged with criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon, three counts of dangerous control of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.
He was taken to the Community Justice Campus.
“The alleged behavior is a very disturbing and disappointing," IMPD Commander Matthew Thomas said. "It is completely unacceptable that any adult would think it is appropriate, not only for himself to recklessly shoot a gun in a busy apartment complex, but to also encourage children to do the same. We as a department are outraged by this, and the community should also be outraged. We have to do better. Our children deserve better."