Indianapolis teen charged in shooting that left 7 children injured

By Zenebou Sylla and Sabrina Souza, CNN

(CNN) — A 17-year-old suspect has been charged in a shooting that left at least seven juveniles injured in downtown Indianapolis last month, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said.

King Dennis was charged with dangerous possession of a firearm and two counts of criminal recklessness, according to court filings.

Dennis has been charged as an adult, the prosecutor’s office said. CNN has attempted to identify an attorney for the suspect.

Dennis was arrested Friday, a Facebook post from the Indianapolis Metro Police Department said.

At least seven children between the ages of 12 and 17 were wounded in the shooting near a mall in the downtown area, CNN reported at the time. All the victims were seen at local hospitals after the shooting and were in stable condition.

It’s unclear what led to the shooting or how many people opened fire, police said.

Officers arrived on the scene around 11:30 p.m. on March 30 and found a large group of juveniles gathered, including those who had been shot, Indianapolis Police Deputy Chief Tanya Terry told reporters the day after the shooting.

Police have monitored large crowds of juveniles downtown in the evenings and have shifted resources to ensure more officers are present and prepared to try to prevent dangerous incidents before they happen, Terry said.

“It is extremely concerning to us that so many of our young people have been victims of gun violence this evening,” Terry said. “Once again, we have a situation where young people are resolving conflict with gun violence, and it has to stop.”

Police say they will continue to review surveillance video and speak to witnesses to identify other suspects.

CNN’s Sara Smart and Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.

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