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Suspect arrested for shooting into houses on Indy's west side

Court documents say the 21-year-old man confessed to the shootings.

INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD reports say that on four different days in January, somebody fired shots into several houses on South Mount Street on the city's west side.

The most recent shooting happened Monday morning.

"I'm sitting here getting ready to watch "The Kelly Clarkson Show," and I hear 'pow, pow, pow, pow,'" said a resident on South Mount Street who did not want to be identified.

She is one of many people in her neighborhood worried for their safety.

"It's killing me. Look at these purple bags [pointing to her eyes]. Makeup won't even hide them," she said.

On Jan. 7, 27, 28 and 30, police accuse Elijah Oates of shooting into homes on South Mount Street.

Court documents say Oates confessed to the shootings.

In one instance, a neighbor told 13News one of the bullets hit a woman at a 1-year-old's birthday party.

"She was grazed," the neighbor said. "They took her by ambulance. I talked to her a couple times. She said she's just sore."

Credit: WTHR
Bullet hole in the window of a home on South Mount Street in Indianapolis on Feb. 2, 2023.

Using security camera footage of the suspect's car, police were able to track down Oates using Flock cameras and arrest the 21-year-old in connection to the shootings.

But even with a suspect in custody and a new security camera at the end of the street, people are still worried.

"He's going to bond out, and he's going to drive down this street, or he's going to pay somebody or send somebody else to finish up what he started," a neighbor said.

Oates is currently in the Marion County Jail being held on a $60,000 bond. He was formally charged Thursday with four counts of criminal recklessness.

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