Two Indiana men face murder charges in connection to a shooting incident last month, where a 12-year-old boy was shot, and a 14-year-old got seriously injured, as per a report by People.
Through the statement released by authorities, People acquired information that Nagomba White, Jr., 21, was arrested on Nov. 9 in Indianapolis on charges that include murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and attempted battery by means of a deadly weapon. Additionally, he is being held at the St. Joseph County Jail and is expected in court on Nov. 29.
The second suspect is named Amarion Cutler, 18, who has been charged with aiding, inducing, or causing murder, conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of attempted murder, attempted battery by means of a deadly weapon, and battery by means of a deadly weapon. Cutler is still at large and should be considered “armed and dangerous,” the police warned in their statement.
Police commented on the day of the shooting that they responded to a call on 27th October, and upon arriving at the location at South Bend, they noticed 12-year-old Josiah Small, with severe gunshot wounds was declared dead at the scene. At the same place, there was a 14-year-old boy who was severely injured and was taken to the hospital, where it is said that he is making a progressive recovery.
St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter addressed a statement through a press release on Monday acquired via People, where he said that a group of four children, including the two victims, were walking along a sidewalk when, at some point, they separated. Thereafter, the two boys had a confrontation episode with two people who were in a car, later identified as White and Cutler. As the boys walked away, the car then reportedly turned around and chased after them. Cotter said both suspects got out of the vehicle and fired shots at the four boys, with two of them being hit.
Cotter said that the surveillance video helped them identify the suspects in the car, stating, “When a 12-year-old gets killed in our community, I think that is something we need to be able to take seriously and to let folks in our community know that the South Bend Police Department has taken this incredibly seriously.”
A GoFundMe campaign was started by Josiah’s family, from which People acquired the information that he was a 6th-grade student at Dickerson Middle School, where he played football. The description on the page said, “[He was] a very respectful kid, [who] had his whole life ahead of him.” According to Josiah’s obituary, he is survived by his parents, sister, four brothers, and other family members.