INDIANAPOLIS — The violent holiday weekend saw many of the city’s youth caught in the crossfire, including an 8-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy at an east side Fourth of July party Monday evening.
A 17-year-old was also shot during a reported “gunfight” early Tuesday morning in the 800 block of Eugene Street on the city’s northwest side.
“Never did I imagine when starting my career that I would see a weekend like the weekend we just experienced, where not only was there one person who was shot, but three children,” said Dr. Matt Landman, trauma medical director at Riley Children’s Health.
Landman said the number of pediatric gunshot victims has skyrocketed in recent years.
So far, eight people under 18 have been shot and killed in Indianapolis this year. According to IMPD, 49 children under the age of 18 have been shot but survived.
“It’s a sad reality that as a pediatric surgeon in this country, you are now confronted with patients that have gun violence-related injuries on a weekly basis,” he said.
So far this year, the team at Riley has treated 23 patients with gunshot injuries, 17 of them caused by a violent crime. That’s compared to the 60 last year with 39 being violent, 44 in 2020 with 27 being violent, 37 in 2019 with 32 being violent and 29 in 2018 with 21 being violent.
The non-violent shootings include unintentional gunshot injuries.
“We not only see the interpersonal gun violence that’s in the news locally, but we also see suicide. We also see mishandling of firearms by kids who find them laying around,” he said.
With each patient, Landman said it never gets easier.
“I think a lot of us, once the dust settles, so to speak, do take account of what we just did, and it can be emotional,” he said.
Earlier this year, data from the CDC found gun-related injuries the leading cause of death for U.S. children. It’s why medical experts aren’t just worried about the healing process, but also the long-term emotional impact these injuries can leave.
“The systems we have in place, the aftercare is all catching up,” Landman said. “We are in many ways recreating adult systems for patients with penetrating trauma in our children’s hospitals because it is becoming so commonplace.”
To prevent devastating accidents, Landman advises parents to talk with their children about gun safety and the dangers of a firearm. He said it’s also important that guns are locked and secured in any home your child visits.
If you are looking for a way to help victims, Landman encourages Hoosiers to donate blood, saying hospitals are currently facing a severe shortage.
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