INDIANAPOLIS — Two weeks after one of the most violent weekends in Indianapolis this year, another victim has died.
On Tuesday, the Marion County coroner identified him as 19-year-old Robert Branson III. He was shot on the west side back on June 11 in the 600 block of South High School Road.
According to investigators, Branson was driven to IU Health Methodist Hospital in critical condition and died Monday night.
The Indy Ten Point Coalition said Branson was shot in the head at a party.
“It was tough for them to see their grandson, to see their son, to see their family member in that condition,” said Rev. Charles Harrison, who leads the coalition.
Harrison said this latest death hits close to home. The victim’s grandmother is a longtime volunteer with Ten Point and patrols the area near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and 29th streets. That night, she was out trying to keep other families safe when her grandson was shot.
“After spending two hours in a hotspot area trying to keep the peace, she had to go to the hospital,” Harrison said. “She has consoled so many mothers and grandmothers and fathers and grandfathers during the loss of their loved ones over the years, but this time, it hit her. We know the pain.”
Even during her time of grief, Harrison said she used the opportunity to help other teens in Indianapolis by bringing her grandson’s friends up to this hospital room to teach them a powerful lesson.
“She wanted them to see the impact of gun violence, to see the condition of her grandson and what happens when they pull the trigger,” he said. “She shared with me that most of the kids could hardly stand it. When they saw her grandson, they could not bear to even look at him.”
Harrison said this is not the first loss to touch the Ten Point family.
“I don’t know too many Ten Point volunteers or OGs that haven’t had someone in their family killed,” Harrison said.
He said many are now using that pain and tragedy as motivation to help others.
As for the investigation into Branson's death, IMPD has not shared information about a possible motive or any suspects.