INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD homicide detectives are investigating a double shooting at the Red Mill Apartments near 38th Street off Franklin Road early Saturday.
Police were called shortly after 2:20 a.m. to investigate a shooting and found two people who had been shot. One of the victims, later identified as 18-year-old Nicholas Powell, died at the scene, while the other victim, later identified as 17-year-old Jhavon Fisher, died at a hospital.
Detectives are still sorting out what led to the shooting and speaking with others who may have witnessed what happened.
Amity Hughes told 13News she heard gunfire early Saturday morning. It's not the first time, but this one was too close to home.
"At first it wasn't too out of the norm, but it being as loud as it was, and of course the blue and red lights that lit up the area," said Hughes.
"Nobody deserves to die and be out of this world. We are all just trying to be on the come up and get ourselves together. Things like this, we are killing each other. I'm not saying no color, I'm saying each other, period," said neighbor Ronica Marie.
Hughes said she believes parents need to make sure they are more involved in their children's lives to prevent things like this from happening.
"You see what happens when you raise yourself or you let the streets raise you," Hughes said.
Marie, who has lived here approximately two years, said she's tired of the violence.
"It just makes me sad. I don't want to be out here. Every time I step out the door I fear," said Marie.
She'd like to move but said she can't afford it right now. Until she finds a safer place, she plans to keep going.
"I'm going to keep going to work like I have been. Keep praying about it every time I come out my door and go in my door before I go to bed, after I wake up and make sure I keep moving forward," said Marie.
Hughes said she has lived on the east side her whole life and is fighting to stay. She doesn't believe the overnight shooting is a true representation of the community.
"I just hope we can come together and save the east side before it's all gone," she said. "We are already losing our stores and restaurants. We don't have much except each other. We definitely need to take better care of each other because it's us against the rest of Indy. We are the far east side."
So far, there is no word from investigators on a motive for the shooting or any suspect information.
If you have information, police ask that you contact Det. Michael Wright at the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or Michael.Wright@indy.gov.
(Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect that two people were killed in this incident, not one as initially reported by IMPD.)