Man found guilty of Indy mass shooting that left six of his family members dead in 2021

After a week-long jury trial, Raymond Ronald Lee Childs III was found guilty of a mass shooting that left six of his family members dead in January 2021.

Kezzie Childs, 42, Raymond Childs, 42, Elijah Childs, 18, Rita Childs, 13, Kiara Hawkins, 19, and Hawkins’ unborn child were all killed in that attack.

The jury convicted Childs of six counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of carrying a handgun without a license after deliberating the case for about three hours.

Childs is expected to have his sentencing hearing in January 2025.

More: A teen slaughtered his family, police say. The father’s last words were ‘I love you.’

Childs’ conviction comes several months after the first hearing of his case was ruled a mistrial on July 23, 2024.

A key witness for the prosecution team verbally confronted Childs in front of the jury, which led to Marion Superior Judge Chris Miller acknowledging the courtroom violation and ultimately declaring the case a mistrial after talking to individual jurors, Fox59 reported at the time.

Before the shooting at the FedEx Ground facility in April 2021, the mass shooting carried out by Childs was considered one of the worst the city had seen in a decade, according to local officials and law enforcement at the time.

“What occurred inside that home is as unfathomable today as it was in 2021,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a press release about Childs’ conviction.

“It has been an incredibly difficult journey for the family and friends of the six people that we tragically lost. I am proud of our trial team, law enforcement, and witnesses, whose dedication to our victims didn’t waiver when faced with adversity. Their commitment ultimately led to today’s verdict and justice for the victims of this horrific crime.”

What happened?

On Jan. 24, 2021, Childs got into an argument with his father after Childs had returned home after leaving without permission, according to court documents. Childs was 17 years old at the time of the shooting.

The argument soon escalated, which led to Childs shooting his parents and the other members of his family with a Draco 7.62. The shooting left his mom, dad, two siblings, a pregnant teen and her unborn child dead.

One of the few people who survived the shooting was Childs’ 15-year-old brother, who officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the front porch of the family’s house in the 3500 block of Adams Street.

The teen was immediately taken to the hospital in critical condition.

After surviving his surgery, the teen told police of the events that led up to the shooting and he heard their father say, “I’m sorry Raymond; I love you,” before being shot by Childs, according to court documents.

Before Childs shot his brother, the teen explained that he pleaded with his big brother to not shoot him, “I can give you 40 dollars. I won’t say nothing. Please don’t kill me,” according to court documents.

Police arrested Childs at the home of a relative the following day.

Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@indystar.com or follow him on X @1NoePadilla.