Seven children were injured in a shooting outside a shopping mall in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday night, police said.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were on patrol when they heard gunshots shortly after 11:30 p.m. and arrived at the block outside Circle Center Mall. Police said officers saw six people with gunshot wounds.
All victims were between the ages of 12 and 17, police said.
Emergency medical services arrived to transport the children to hospital, and a seventh person, also under the age of 18, arrived at hospital on his own. One victim is in critical condition and the other six are stable.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief Tanya Terry called the shooting “very concerning.”
“Once again, young people are using firearms to settle disputes and this has to stop,” Terry said.
Terry told reporters that officers noticed a pattern of young people leaving the mall after it closed at 7 p.m. and cycling through nearby downtown areas for hours. She pointed out that if parents don't know where their 12-year-old is at 11:30pm before Easter, that should be a “priority”.
“I think everyone sees a message at 10 p.m. that says, 'Parents, do you know where your children are?'” Terry said, referring to an old public service announcement. “And we ask parents to be involved in their children's outings, especially during evening hours.”
Police have not made any arrests in the case or provided information on potential suspects. Detectives with the department have opened an aggravated assault investigation, police said.
This is the third mass shooting in Indianapolis in three weeks, according to NBC News affiliate WTHR.
Last Sunday, a shooting on the city's east side left five people dead, including a police officer, the station reported. In this incident, a police officer shot and killed the suspect.
On March 16, one person was killed and five others were injured in a shooting at a bar, according to the Indianapolis Star. The newspaper reported that a suspect was arrested and charged in the shooting after police identified the gunman from surveillance footage inside the bar.